The Code of the Pride: A Dragon's Guide To Building A Nest
by soft-punk-aesthetic
Summary: My version of how Fairy Tail would've gone if the Dragon Slayers were raised together and all ended up at Fairy Tail, with a few twists and turns thrown in for fun ;) (Miraxus, Erik/Kinana, Gajevy, Gruvia, Nalu, others tbd)
1. Chapter 1

"I don't wanna separate," Natsu murmured softly, face buried in his scarf. His arms were crossed over his chest, the nine year old glaring at the ground. Though, he didn't look all that threatening with a blue Exceed resting on his head.

"I liked everything how it was- And I don't wanna lose you guys," The salmon haired boy looked up from the ground to look at his siblings.

Seven of them- seven slayers for seven dragons. A family.

A pride.

Each one had been abandoned or on the run or left for dead. Their dragons- parents- took them in.

Lenori, Immerra, Metalicana, Igneel, Grandeeney, Weisslogia, Skiadrum. Storm, Poison, Iron, Fire, Wind, Light, and Shadow.

They'd been raised and cared for- they were siblings in every way that mattered.

But their dragons were gone, and now they had to make a choice.

"I want to see the world," Erik, the second eldest at 15, told them, Cubellios coiled around his arm. "I know humanity is weird, and the world's a messed up place, but I want to do stuff on my own,"

"I want to see the world too," Gajeel, only 12, said. "I want to know what life's like outside the nest,"

The four eldest looked to their younger siblings- the triplets, as they were called.

Wendy, Sting, and Rogue. They were all the same age, 7, but didn't know their birthdays, so they decided to share one.

Wendy, the eldest, chewed her lip, holding Charla to her. "I- I wanna go out on my own. I wanna get stronger- Strong like Mama! I can't always rely on my brothers,"

"But…" Sting frowned, his Exceed, Lector, in his arms.

"Let her go," Laxus nodded, arms crossed. "Okay. Natsu, Sting, Rogue, Happy, Frosch, and Lector, you guys come to Fairy Tail with me. Erik, Gajeel, and Wendy and Charla will go their own way- _at least_ stay together until you have money to go places," The eldest- the leader- snapped, glaring at the trio and baring his fangs.

"Okay," Rogue smiled without showing his teeth, but hugged his sister tightly, as did Sting.

"It's okay Sting! Wendy's strong- she'll be okay!" Lector exclaimed. Frosch, a green Exceed in Rogue's arms, nodded.

"Fro thinks so too!" It agreed.

"If anything happens," Laxus looked each of his siblings in the eye. "You know what to do," The group exchanged identical smiles.

"Hug?" Wendy asked, but Natsu was already pulling them all in.

"Will we get together again?" Rogue asked softly, standing beside Laxus as the four of them watched their other three siblings walk away.

"Course we will!" Natsu burst out. "Dragons make life long bonds together!"

"One last roar? For good luck?" Sting begged, pulling on the 18 year old's jeans.

Laxus grinned before sucking in a deep breath. Scale-like patterns appeared across his body, and lightning crackled around him.

He opened his mouth and the trees around them shook, birds flying from their perches in fright.

Together, six others responded to the call, roaring with all their might.

No matter where they were, they would always be family. The Code of the Pride is something they live by;

A dragon protects their own.


	2. Chapter 2

"Tch," Laxus sighed when Natsu finally shut his eyes, dead on his feet.

The only problem was that their train had stopped and they had to start moving again.

"Hatchlings," He rolled his eyes, already having to carry Sting, Rogue, and the two's Exceeds, who were all fast asleep.

"Aye," Happy mumbled sleepily, placing himself on Laxus' head. Laxus, somehow, managed to get Natsu latched onto his back, and carried Sting and Rogue in his arms, which were locked under Natsu's legs.

"**We there yet?**" Natsu mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"**We're in Magnolia, yeah. Sleep well?**" Laxus asked, ignoring the looks they received from the townsfolk. They weren't used to speaking anything other than Draconic- which sounded like snarls and growls to humans.

"Mmm," Natsu mumbled, pushing his face in the crook of his brother's neck. "**Lax?**"

"**Ah?**"

"**I miss my Dad. And Lenori, and Weisslogia, and Metalicana, and Grandeeney, and Skiadrum, and Immerra. I- I miss home. Why did they leave? Do they not love us anymore?**" Natsu whimpered, clutching his brother, and Laxus was thankful the younger two were still asleep.

"**I don't know Natsu. But I know Igneel loved you- Our dragons loved all of us. We'll find them again, and we'll get our answers. Yeah?**"

Natsu nodded, furiously wiping his tears away. "**Yeah. Yeah!**"

Laxus nodded back, and continued on, until they reached a large, slightly noisy guild.

Sting and Rogue instantly shot awake, hands slamming over their ears while Natsu wrapped his scarf over his ears.

"**Can you brats walk now? I've been carrying you for three hours,**" Laxus muttered, rolling his eyes when each of his brother gripped him tighter.

"**Fine, fine. Clingy little hatchlings,**" He muttered the last part to himself.

"**`M not a hatchling!**" Natsu protested vehemently.

"**Sting, Rogue, are you ears covered?**" Laxus ignored the nine year old.

When the two nodded, Laxus took a deep breath before stalking forward and kicking the door open.

"Oi, Jii-chan? Am I gonna get a welcome back or what?" Laxus called when he entered the guild hall, silencing all of Fairy Tail.

"WHA?!" The guild erupted into noise, people shouting, chairs clattering to the ground, glasses shattering.

"**Too loud…**" Rogue whispered, no one but his brothers hearing him.

Laxus' eye twitched, and he let out a loud growl.

"Hey! Either shut the hell up or lower your damn volume!" He snarled threateningly, shocking the guild into silence.

"Laxus…?" The blond looked to the bar, where his grandfather was sat, staring as if he'd seen a ghost.

The teen gave a small smile. "Hey, old man. I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me, eh?"

Makarov was suddenly overwhelmed by tears staring at his grandson- his grandson who was alive.

"You got room here for a few more?" Laxus asked walking to the bar. It was then the guild noticed the three young boys that seemed to be clinging to Laxus.

"They dead or somethin'?" A pale (naked?) boy with dark hair asked, arms crossed.

"Gray, clothes,"

"UWHA?! NOT AGAIN!"

It was then Natsu jumped down, landing on his feet. The fire mage lowered his scarf back to his neck, grinning at Makarov while Happy flew down and floated beside him.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel! A Fire Dragon Slayer! And this is Happy!" He gestured to his Exceed, who vanished his Aera wings and landed on Natsu's head.

"Aye sir! I'm Natsu's bestest friend!" The blue cat exclaimed.

Sting and Rogue both slid down from Laxus, but stayed close, their Exceeds hovering near their heads.

"I'm Sting, White Dragon Slayer. And this is Lector!" He exclaimed, attempting to hide his nervousness.

"Rogue, Shadow Dragon Slayer, and this is Frosch," Rogue said softly.

Both he and Sting were abused by their parents- who were mages- making them very timid. There was also the off feeling of being a duo instead of a trio- missing their other piece.

"Dragon Slayers?" Makarov's mouth parted in shock.

"Yeah! And we wanna join Fairy Tail! And when we're real strong, we're gonna find our dragons!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye!"

"Baka~. Dragons aren't real," The naked kid (now clothed), Gray, crossed his arms.

"Nu-uh! They totally are! You shut your mouth, droopy eyes!" Natsu glowered.

"What did you just call me, slanty eyes?!"

"You heard m- H-Hey! Put on some clothes, pervert!"

Laxus emitted a short growl from the back of his throat. "Guild mark first. Then you can brawl all you want,"

Makarov smiled widely. "Any friend of my grandson's is welcome here! Where do you want your mark?"

**(trying smth new, been workin on this for a while and wanted to post it. tell me if u like it bc im p far in it but wont post the next few chapters just yet)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Be careful," Wendy whispered to her older brothers. They were in some town called Hargeon, they had been for a few days. But it was finally time for them to go their separate ways.

"Are you sure about this, Breezy?" Gajeel frowned.

"Doesn't matter. Laxus said to let her go- If he thinks she can do it, than we need to believe in her," Erik grumbled, arms crossed.

Wendy gave them both a toothy grin while Charla crossed her arms with a 'humph'. The only girl gave her brothers a tight bear hug before setting off.

"Don't do anything stupid," Erik said. "And if you get into any trouble I'll kick your ass," Gajeel rolled his eyes and headed in another direction.

Erik waited until he could no longer hear them before heading off as well- taking the direction of the forest.

"Well we have to find something!" The boss will kill me if we don't come back with another kid, and we still have to finish the experiment!

"But sir-"

"No buts! You find me someone, anyone, or I'll use you!"

Erik's ear twitched as he heard the yelling. Slave traders- and apparently they were short on the needed supply.

Something in the maroon haired teen's gut made him spin on his heel and start running.

"What was- Hey! There's a kid!"

"Get him! If the capital finds out we're taking stock from Fiore we'll be thrown in prison!"

"Grab him!"

Erik pushed himself faster as he heard the mens' yells, Cubellios hissing at them over his shoulder.

_There is too many of them! You must run faster!_ Erik heard from Cubellios, running as fast as he could.

"I'm basically half dragon there's no way they could catch up to me unless they've got some sort of magic enhancers!" Erik snapped, focusing his ears on the men chasing him.

_Erik! You're not being cautious enough, call for help!_

"Hell no!"

_Please! Erik, you need to call the others! You're arrogance should not keep you from asking for the pride- and this is serious! If you get taken, what will they do with me? In case you haven't noticed, I'm a six foot long flying snake, I can't exactly be much help at the Tower of Heaven anymore! And if you get captured, again, how are we supposed to break my curse?_

"You're so pushy,"

_I will bite you. Now do it!_

Erik nodded, swallowing thickly as he noticed the men gaining on him. The teen stopped for a moment before taking a deep breath.

"That sounds like Erik!" Charla exclaimed when a roar shook the ground, echoing all around them. Wendy had halted her movements, eyes wide in shock and fear before narrowing into an angered look.

"Somebody's trying to hurt my big brother. Charla!"

"Right!"

"What the hell?" Gajeel tilted his head when he heard Erik's roar. Narrowing his eyes, Gajeel took off toward the sound.

"He's there! Grab him!" One of the slave traders shouted. Erik quickly surveyed his surroundings, counting the men to see how he'd fair.

There were six of them, all full grown men. He didn't know if they were mages or not, but even still his ability to hear souls gave him an advantage.

"Erik!"

"Hey! Get the hell away from him!" Erik smirked when he heard the two, getting into a fighting stance as Charla set Wendy down beside him and Gajeel ran forward.

"Three against six? We win," Gajeel smiled darkly.

"Sky Dragon: Claws!"

"Iron Dragon: Club!"

"Poison Dragon: Roar!" The trio shouted. When plumes of red poison filled the air, Erik grabbed each of his siblings and ran as fast as he could.

"Are you okay? Do I need to heal you? Oh, was it a good idea to separate? If the world is this dangerous what if the others are in danger!" Wendy rambled, trying to look over Erik even though he was holding her.

"I'm fine, Wendy. It's because we're near the shoreline- slave traders are common in Bosco. We need to keep moving,"

"Fucking hate that place. Now will you let me off your back first you prick?" Gajeel grumbled, somehow having been put onto Erik's back.

The thirteen year old let out a tiny shriek when Erik dropped him, glaring at his older brother.

"We'll be fine by ourselves, we just need to stay away from the borders," Erik ignored Gajeel, still holding Wendy. "Charla?"

The Exceed snapped her head to look at him. Erik locked eyes with the white cat. "Take care of Wendy. And Wendy, look after Charla. Right?"

"Right!" Both girls exclaimed, smiling brightly. Erik nodded, placing Wendy back on the ground.

"You two can fly away from here. I'll stick with bolts-for-brains over here until it's safe for us to separate," With that, Charla grabbed Wendy and flew off, leaving the two boys.

"We're gonna be fine," Gajeel murmured, though it seemed more like he said it to reassure himself. "Everything'll be fine,"

If only.


	4. Chapter 4

"Did you hear that?" Rogue whispered, looking up at Laxus.

They'd been, officially, in Fairy Tail for about a day now. Natsu, as with everything, gave it his all, and got into frequent brawls with Gray.

Laxus had reunited with the Raijinshuu, and had become fast friends with a girl his age named Mirajane.

To Freed's annoyance, Rogue was still glued to Laxus, and Sting was glued to Rogue. Though, whenever anyone asked about how the Dragon Slayers knew each other, or where they'd come from, they received no answer, and four very scary glares.

"Yeah. I heard it," Laxus grunted, looking at the guild hall doors. The three of them were sat on the far left of the doors, at their own table. Far enough that anyone without enhanced hearing wouldn't be able to hear them at normal volume, but close enough to still be part of the main group.

Sting squeezed Lector tightly when he heard it, and Natsu looked up from his fight with Gray.

"He's okay," Laxus said, "We're all fine. You're worrying for nothin'. Now would you two go and make _some_ friends?"

Sting pouted and Rogue squirmed anxiously before turning-

And bumping into a girl with blue hair.

"S-Sorry!" She squealed bending down to pick up her books. "Couldn't see over my stack. I'm Levy MacGarden! You're two of the new Dragon Slayers, right? I've been reading all I could about other Dragon Slayers- I've never met any before, you know? Well, besides me and Juvi, but we were hermits and Earth and Water Dragons are different from others. Were you raised by dragons too? Did they teach you their magic? Was it dangerous? Where did you find the dragons? What's it like? Were there any other people there or was it, like, isolated or some sort of solitude because I don't think a lot of people would necessarily _like_ living with a dragon- I don't have anything against them, I think they're cool! But, you know, most humans fear anything they can't understand, but I love dragons! I've been trying to find my Mom, Hindaidit, she's the Earth Dragon! And her mate, Sorgina, she raised my little sister Juvi! Do you have any siblings? Well, I guess you kind of do, you smell like each other. Were your dragons friends? Did they raise you together? Where-"

"Levy, you're rambling again," Laxus rumbled, eyebrows raised in amusement. Levy blinked before blushing, holding her books to her chest.

"Sorry! When I get excited I ramble a lot and my Mom said that when I ramble sometimes I say things I shouldn't-"

"Like that you were raised by the Earth Dragon Hindaidit, her mate Sorgina, and have a little sister named Juvia," Sting blinked.

Levy paled. "Y-You can't say anything to anybody about that! It's too dangerous! Promise me you won't say anything- only Gramps knows!"

"We won't," Rogue promised before peering at her books. "You like to read?" Levy beamed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Yeah! I love to read, my Mom would read to me or tell me stories all the time!" Levy told them. "Do you wanna come to the guild library with me? Me and Freed have been working on fixing the books because their all really old and falling apart or outdated, but he's always moping about how Laxus spends more time with Mira than the Raijinshuu,"

"Sure!" Sting exclaimed, smiling. "I'm Sting, and this is Rogue, and Lector, and Frosch. We're 7! I mean, me and Rogue are seven, Lector and Frosch have only been hatched for two years,"

"I'm 12, but I'm small for my age. Most Earth Dragons are small though, we like to hide away deep in the ground," Levy said as they entered the library. "And that's my Exceed, Belletokia. I call her Toki. She's two too," She gestured to a light purple Exceed with a purple and violet striped tail. She had a pink headband with a large bow on the front of it, and yellow white collared shirt with a red skirt and small shoes.

"Levy! I found a- _EXCEEDS?!_" She cut herself off, jaw dropping.

The bluenette nodded. "Yeah! This is Sting and Rogue, they're like me! And that's Lector, and that's Frosch. There's another Exceed too- Happy- but he's attached to Natsu,"

Belletokia blinked before zooming down to hover in front of them.

"_Wow!_" She beamed. "I'm Belletokia! Did you come to help out with the library?"

Sting and Rogue both blinked, slightly shocked, before matching grins dawned on their faces.

"Yeah!"

"Laxus," The blond grunted, firmly keeping his eyes shut.

The small hand pulled on his shirt tighter, more insistent.

"_Laxus!_ I know you're awake, dummy. I can hear your heartbeat," The young girl whispered.

Internally, Laxus sighed. Cracking open an eye, he wasn't surprised to see Levy, and her Exceed, staring at him.

"Rogue and Sting fell asleep in the library. And Natsu fell asleep on top of Gray," She whispered. It was then he took a look around, realizing it was pretty late.

"Mmph," He growled, getting to his feet. Before he could walk away, however, a small hand tugged on his wrist.

"_**You're an awesome Drake. And lightning is super cool too!**_" Levy grinned, speaking Draconic as if it were the most natural thing in the world. And for their kind, it probably was.

Waving, the bluenette skipped off carrying Belletokia, exiting the guild.

Laxus shook his head when he realized he was smiling. Sighing deeply, he set off to collect his brothers.

When he found the dragons, oh, were they in for it. Yeah he's the Drake out of the lot, but he didn't ask to be looking after all these brats and- Laxus sighed again- Levy was one of his nest mates now.

Gods be damned, Lenori was a _bitch_ for leaving him with these brats.

* * *

"We're back!" Natsu, now 15, hollered as he kicked open the guild door, Happy flying ahead of him.

"YOU DESTROYED THE HARGEON PORT?!" Makarov roared, enlarging his fist to smash on the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Hi! I'm Levy, who're you?" Levy asked, tilting her head. The blonde girl shrieked when the small teen appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"Levy-nee, you're scaring her," Sting, 12, called from where he and Rogue sat with the rest of the Exceeds.

"You know how she gets when Lax is gone, especially since Mira can't. Besides, she _is_ acting Drake, if Laxus is out on a mission," Rogue said calmly.

"That's only because her roar was louder than Natsu's! In a real fight, she'd lose to Natsu any day!" Happy said around a mouthful of fish.

Belletokia glowered at the blue cat. "Idiot! Levy's way stronger than Natsu!"

"No!"

"Yeah!"

"No!"

"Y-"

"_**Would you two quit it?! This is the fifth time in three days!**_" Levy rolled her eyes.

Natsu grinned at his honorary older sister, looking away from the lecturing Master as everyone noticed the new girl.

"Everybody, this is Luigi! Happy and I met her in Hargeon- she wants to join Fairy Tail!"

"That's not my name! For the _last time_ it's _Lucy_!" The blonde exclaimed, glaring at him.

"And what kind of magic do you use, my lady?" Loki asked, peering at the attractive female.

Lucy smirked proudly. "I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage!" She announced.

The previously flirtatious Loki half shrieked and ran from the guild, and Lucy went up to the bar where Mirajane was.

The barmaid had her long white hair in its usual ponytail, held back by a dark ribbon. Her top was violet, and covered by a black jacket while she wore washed blue jeans and white shoes.

"Hi! I'm Mirajane, but you can call me Mira- everybody does," She smiled warmly. The white haired woman snuck a glance at Levy, who nodded, letting her nest mate know the blonde was safe.

"_**How was the search?**_" Levy asked softly when Natsu joined their table- the same one Laxus, Rogue, and Sting had sat at that first day in the guild.

The salmon haired teen shook his head with a sigh, "_**Nothing. It's like they just- vanished. But that should be impossible,**_"

"_**Wherever they are,**_" Sting smiled. "_**I'm sure they're super proud of us, Natsu-nii! And we'll never give up hope! Right?**_"

"Aye!" Happy and Lector chorused.

"Fro thinks so too!"

"Yeah! And until then, you've got all of us!" Belletokia grinned.

Levy smiled. "_**Always,**_" She reaffirmed. "_**More importantly, is Laxus ever going to tell Makarov that he got Mirajane pregnant?**_"

The youngest two boys burst into giggles, while Natsu and Levy laughed when they all heard Mira start to cough.

"Shut up you lot!" She called at them, though her eyes sparkled.


	5. Chapter 5

_{Flashback}_

_"You're a Dragon Slayer too?" The blue haired girl looked down at him._

_Gajeel snapped his teeth at her, shooting to his feet. "What's it to you? Mind your own damn business, huh?"_

_"Hey! Don't you dare talk to Princess Juvia like that! You're lucky she doesn't drown you where you stand, metal boy!" A tiny, brown and cream colored Exceed snapped at him. The kitten was young, and wore a seafoam green shirt trimmed in white and a red bandana around his neck._

_"Monmo! How many times must Juvia tell you, she is not a princess here! She has no kingdom to run anymore," The girl, who looked about Natsu's age, chided her feline companion before turning back to Gajeel. "If you want, you can stick with Juvia and Monmo. Juvia is trying to find a guild but-" She stopped, twirling her umbrella. "Juvia brings rain everywhere, and no one likes her,"_

_"What'd ya mean back there? When ya said 'too'?" The bluenette beamed at the question._

_"Juvia is the Water Dragon Slayer, raised by her mother Sorgina! The Water Dragon!"_

_Against his better judgement, Gajeel agreed. It was the best mistake he ever made._

_{Flashback End}_

"Juvia- I don't like this, Gajeel," The 16 year old warned her best friend. "I can smell dragons surrounding Fairy Tail,"

They were walking, through the rain of course, about the town of Magnolia, scoping the place out for their mission.

Kidnap one Lucy Heartfilia and return her to her father.

The bluenette dropped her umbrella when Gajeel fell to his knees.

"Gajeel!" She and Monmo rushed to their friend, who's shoulders shook.

"Fairy Tail," He whispered, eyes blown wide. "Fairy Tail- Laxus is in- they- I'm an idiot," Gajeel seethed. "I knew it, I knew- I knew we should've escaped sooner-"

"Ga- You couldn't have known Jose would wage war on your family," Juvia said sternly. "We can still warn them-"

"No!" Monmo shook his head. "I was listening in on Jose- If you try and leave now he'll bring Hell down on Fairy Tail. I think he knows about the other slayers!"

"_**Dammit!**_" Gajeel punched the ground, his fist sinking into the Earth. Juvia chewed her lip, thinking, when her eyes brightened.

"_**Monmo, go to Fairy Tail! Warn them, tell them to prepare, and to hide! Tell them me and Gajeel do not want to hurt them, but we can't leave!**_"

"Princess-"

"Go!" Juvia ordered, and her Exceed zoomed off after a moment's hesitation.

"We're screwed aren't we?" Gajeel murmured, getting to his feet. Juvia shrugged, looping her left arm through his while the other picked up her discarded umbrella.

"I like to think that no matter how fucked over we are, we can just murder all of our problems," Juvia said brightly.

Gajeel snorted. "You're real messed up, you know that Rainwoman?"

"Please. You're the one that decided to be friends with me,"

"I stand by my kidnapped and enslaved claim," He retorted.

Juvia grinned, gripping his arm tighter. "Yep! And since you're Juvia's only friend, Juvia will never let you escape!"

"You're so weird!"

Levy snapped her head up, eyes wide, when the guild doors burst open.

"Run! You have to run, and hide!" Monmo, her sister's Exceed, exclaimed, eyes filled with tears.

"What are you on about?" Makarov asked, hopping down from the bar and taking a step forward when Levy threw herself in front of Monmo, growling.

The cat gasped. "L-Levy?"

"Monmo!"

"Belletokia!" The two hugged tightly. Mirajane took a step forward, staring at her nest mate with concern in her eyes.

"You know us, Levy. We won't harm him. But you have to let us know who he is," She said clearly, pulling rank by the tone of her voice.

Levy's growling ceased, and her scales disappeared back beneath her skin. "Monmo is my sister's Exceed. Juvia…"

The name snapped Monmo back into action. "And that's why you have to hide!"

"What do you mean, Monmo?" Makarov asked. The tiny Exceed gripped Belletokia's paw.

"Phantom Lord is planning to attack Fairy Tail. I dunno why, Juvia and Gajeel wouldn't tell me. But they don't want to! Gajeel and Juvia don't like Phantom Lord, but Jose won't let them leave because they're two of his strongest! We were scouting out Magnolia when Juvia said she could smell dragons, but they can't escape!" Monmo rushed out. "And if Juvia knew Levy was here she would never, ever let Jose get away with it! Gajeel's already trying to kill Jose, but that's for something else,"

"Gajeel? Gajeel Redfox?" Levy asked, snapping her wide eyes to Monmo. When he nodded, the Earth Dragon Slayer looked at the master. "That's one of the other Dragon Slayers. Sting, Rogue, Natsu, and Laxus know him- He would never attack of his own accord,"

"Jose is foolish to attack," Makarov said lowly. "War between guilds is forbade by the council,"

"We can't just sit here and hide!" Wakaba yelled, earning shouts of agreement.

"What can we do? Almost all our fighters are out on jobs and we don't know when they'll be back! Not to mention Phantom has strength in numbers, and if what we know is true, Juvia and Gajeel won't be able to do much to help. We know how Dark Guilds are- if they get caught trying to help us they could very well die," Mirajane spoke to the whole guild. She looked at the ground, fists clenched. "I- I'm not an asset to the guild- Not anymore. And I know we're all strong- impeccably so. Because we have each other! But even still, it's illegal. And considering our reputation, we can't afford a run in with the council," Fairy Tail was silenced by her words, knowing deep down that she was right.

"The basement," Levy said suddenly. "Even if they attack, the basement's like a panic room- completely solid and impossible to break. If or when they attack, they won't get to us there,"

"There's no point in stressing over everything now," Makarov sighed. "It's almost midnight. Go home, all of you! It's like you have no lives outside of this place…"


	6. Chapter 6

"This is gonna suck," Gajeel muttered, rolling his shoulders. Juvia shrugged, her messy blue hair thrown in a high ponytail.

"We've done worse. Remember Vixen Claw?" She asked. Both Dragon Slayers shuddered at the memory of the guild they took down with the rest of Element 4.

It'd been a day since they sent Monmo to warn the Fairies- luckily Jose didn't really care, he'd always hated the cat. It was night, and the guild was luckily empty.

"We're just wrecking the building, right?" Juvia asked, flexing her fingers. Gajeel nodded, both their stomachs churning. They were stood on a nearby rooftop, watching as the last person, a white haired woman, left the guild.

"Let's break some shit," Gajeel muttered and the two took off. 

"Huh," Juvia tilted her head to the side, studying the now destroyed building. "Did we go overboard, Gajeel?"

The older man shrugged. "We did, but this is barely anything to the Black Steel Knight and the Queen of the Tides,"

"Juvia hates those names," She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest as she broke back into her old habit. It used to be something she did often, when she was very young, but now it only happened when she was feeling intense emotion.

"C'mon, Rainwoman," Gajeel jerked his head and the two jumped from rooftop to rooftop, set on returning to their own guild.

Suddenly, Juvia stopped, almost falling off the roof. The bluenette's eyes snapped every which way, trying to match the scent to a place or a person or- something.

"-don't you stay with Mirajane- she's in your pack or something, right? Or room with one of the other girls from Fairy Hills?" A boy with orange hair asked the petite woman.

She shrugged. "I was, but Mira's with her brother. Besides, we've been friends since childhood. And it's my pride, Jet. We're dragons- not wolves,"

"Oh my gods," Juvia whispered, a hand slamming over her mouth. "It's my sister, it's her, oh gods- oh gods," Gajeel looked her in the eyes, his stomach churning.

"We have to," Gajeel said softly, feeling something in his lower abdomen pull him towards the petite bluenette.

Levy snapped her head up to the rooftop, heart pounding.

"Levy?" Belletokia asked. The woman turned, just in time to see two figures drop from the rooftops.

"I'm sorry," The woman choked, tears in her eyes. The man simply got to work, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Princess Juvia! Gajeel!" Monmo exclaimed, about to fly forward when a rod of iron stopped him.

"Juvi?" Levy whispered. The younger woman squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look at Levy.

"Water Slicer!"

"How did the mission go?" Jose asked when they returned. Gajeel gave him a wicked grin while Juvia remained stone-faced.

"The building's barely standing- simply a warning," He choked on the next words, but covered it expertly. "We decided to leave them a little present,"

"Drip-drip, drop," Juvia said, emotionless, "They stand no chance. Drip-drip, drop," 

"Don't' go any closer," Natsu growled, quickly moving to keep Sting and Rogue away from the tree. They were still very young, but if they got close enough to see it then they would smell it.

"Natsu?" Sting asked, confused. Rogue peered around Natsu's shoulder when he saw Makarov let out an intense wave of magic power. Frosch's gasp was muffled by Lector's paw over its mouth, the two Exceeds keeping their partners in the dark.

When Team Natsu had returned from the Galuna Island incident, Mirajane had immediately caught them up on everything that had happened- and only Lucy and Happy were able to stop Natsu from storming Phantom Lord then and there to save his brother.

Sting and Rogue had just arrived back from a mission with Laxus, who had left them at the previous stop to join a Raijinshuu mission, and Natsu knew he had to keep them in the dark about Gajeel- and Levy's sister.

"Sting, Rogue," Mirajane knelt before the two, both immediately snapping to attention. "I need you two, Lector, and Frosch to go to the East Forest and ask for Porlyusica's help. Can you do that for me?" She asked.

"What happened?" Rogue asked softly, just as confused as his brother. Mirajane looked at the two of them.

"Fairy Tail's preparing for battle. Quickly now, go!" She ushered them away, before pulling Frosch and Lector down to speak to them. "Keep them away from the battle, at all costs," She said softly before the quartet ran off.

"Mira?" Natsu asked softly. The white haired woman ran a hand through his hair affectionately and the younger boy nodded, expression grim.

* * *

Gajeel was sitting up in the rafters when the doors (and wall) blew up. The Iron Dragon Slayer had already heard them from miles away, so he wasn't surprised to see Fairy Tail bust down the doors for revenge. He knew the guild had a- less intense- pack bond similar to the Dragon Slayers, and Makarov would want to avenge his children.

He swallowed thickly, thinking about what he and- no, what he had done. He said they had to, he caused the worst of the injuries, he crucified them, he painted the Phantom Lord symbol on her abdomen.

Her…

Something about her just drew him in. It was intoxicating, but she was so- so- Indescribable. Unimaginable.

And when he smelt his brothers on her- his younger brothers, and his oldest one it just-

It was like home.

The nineteen year old smirked as he watched his younger brother fight. The kid had really grown, his fighting was better than when he'd last seen him. Then again, the last time their whole family had been together was seven years ago.

He winced when he saw their master crash through the floor. Aria had always been a pain in the ass- guy gave Gajeel the creeps. All the Element 4 did- especially Juvia, her body was made out of fucking water. How the hell does that even work?

He shook his head, deciding to focus on what Aria was saying.

Mistake. The supposed strongest of the Element 4 was going on about how sad it was, what happened to the Fairy Tail guild master.

"Rainwoman get the job done?" He grunted, raising his voice to catch Natsu's attention. Gajeel internally smirked when the emerald-eyed teen glanced up at them.

"Yes. The girl known as Lucy Heartfilia is being held at our headquarters," Aria answered, in his normally booming voice. Gajeel grinned when he saw Natsu's eyes narrow into slits- the girl was probably his mate and the idiot hadn't even noticed.

"Gihi," He said in reply as Aria vanished them away from the- now destroyed- building.


	7. Chapter 7

"Drip, drip, drop," Juvia said as she walked through the streets, passing by a blonde girl with groceries.

She was very pretty, if Sol hadn't been following her right now Juvia would've asked where she shops for cl-

_No_.

She stopped in shock as the bluenette finally noticed the scents- her sister, Belletokia, how Gajeel described the scents of his brothers. This was a Fairy Tail mage- _this was her target_.

Luckily, Sol had perfect timing and rose up in front of the blonde right when Juvia stopped.

"Juvia-sama, I believe this _mademoiselle_ is our _cible_, _non_, _non_, _non_," He grinned, bouncing from side to side like a spring- as usual.

"Then, Monsieur Sol, let us finish the mission," Juvia said. Holding up a hand, she encased the blonde in a bubble of water.

"W-What is this?" She exclaimed.

"Hmm. No one is able to escape Juvia's _Water Lock_, drip, drip, drop. Target captured- Lady Lucy Heartfilia,"

"Is she safe?" Juvia whispered when she returned to her best friend's side. The large man nodded gruffly.

"Natsu's hunting her down- And he doesn't know it yet, but he'll do whatever it takes to find her," Gajeel answered, his arms crossed.

Juvia's eyes widened. "_**Our target was Gajeel's brother's mate?**_" She growled, her eyes taking on an angry look.

Gajeel nodded. "_**Yeah. Idiot doesn't know it yet, though. He heard me talking with Aria- If she's not out by now he's on his way to get her with Happy,**_"

Juvia let out a small breath, relieved. The last thing they needed right now was a rampaging dragon.

Well- more than _one_ rampaging dragon. 

"_**Stupid runaways, stupid abusive and controlling guild masters, stupid Gajeel, you fucking idiot, should've left the damn place earlier,**_" He mumbled to himself as he banged away on the door to the 'secret hideout', fucking- it's an _abandoned warehouse_. How obvious- and cliche.

Gajeel _hated_ cliches. They make plotlines boring- unless it's a cliche with a twist- like if it turns out gay or the princess kills the prince in the end.

"Sorry about this," He sighed, kicking the door in. Gajeel avoided the fat painter mage, who was facing off against two from his guild- he couldn't be bothered to learn their names.

Gajeel immediately headed for his target, knocking her out so he could carry her away easily. He grit his teeth when he heard someone following him- some guy with a _really_ weird smell.

"I don't have time for this," Gajeel snarled, sending an iron club to the guy's stomach before jumping to a nearby rooftop and making his strategic retreat.

When Jose asked if the girl was alive upon Gajeel's return, the metal mage wanted to _slit his throat_ for even _insinuating_ that he would harm what would essentially one day be his younger sister- but then again, Jose didn't know that.

"Just," He said instead, with a shark like grin as he dropped the girl on the ground in front of him. Gajeel lightly kicked her stomach and she coughed- he had to hand it to the teen, she was an amazing actress. Considering he'd barely briefed her about how to act since they were on a time limit, she was doing pretty well.

"But just to make sure," Gajeel threw her across the room, her body slamming into the wall and falling into the ground rousing her from her "unconscious" state.

"Asshole," She whispered lowly, discreetly sending him a glare, making his grin widen. Oh, she was a perfect match for his annoying younger brother.

* * *

Juvia was in a very bad mood. Lucy was back in Phantom Lord's hands, people were fighting, Makarov was sick, her sister was in the hospital, and she hadn't seen her best friends in over two hours.

So, yeah, her day was going _fairly_ well, thanks for asking.

"Drip, drip, drop. What do you want?" She snapped at the dark haired wizard who disturbed her peace on the roof.

"I'm surprised one of your guild managed to defeat Sol- not _that_ surprised, but still," Juvia shrugged. "But don't underestimate the other three Elements. I am the Rainwoman, of the Element 4,"

"Well if it's a fight you want I'll give it to you. But don't expect me to hold back just because you're a girl,"

Juvia glared at the teen- who looked about her age. Blue eyes locked with a dark grey, and the two seemed to be in a heated staring match.

*Ba-boom*

"_Fuck_," She hissed quietly under her breath, cheeks flushing. She felt a pull to this boy, it was- a new feeling.

"W-Well then. I give up. Goodbye!" She stuttered out, turning on her heel to leave.

"W-_HEY!_ Come back and fight me!"

'Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods' Juvia thought, her hand on her still beating heart. Taking a deep breath, Juvia gave in to her feelings and decided to let her instincts take over.

"_Water Lock!_"

FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK WRONG MOVE, WRONG MOVE!

"Oh gods, he's injured! Oh my gods, I didn't know he was injured, oh my gods!" Juvia exclaimed, panicking to herself. She was about to release him when her water froze and shattered.

"An Ice Mage," She whispered in awe. His magic was beautiful, much like the mage himself.

"Heh. You almost got me with that sneak attack," He said, kneeling down.

"W-" She said to the boy (who was _taking off his shirt ohmygods_). Before she could speak, lances of ice pierced through her body.

"Surprised?" She asked him when they simply went through her. "My body's made of water. None of your physical attacks will do me any damage. _Water Dragon Roar!_" The teen dodged her attacks, watching with wide eyes as the jet of water broke through the roof of the robot they were fighting on.

"Given enough force water can cut through steel- Which irritates Gajeel to no end," Juvia smiled to herself. "But we don't have to fight. Simply hand over Lucy Heartfilia and Master Jose will let you be,"

"Don't give me that crap," He glared. "Besides, Lucy's one of us. I'd rather die than give her to the likes of you,"

On normal circumstances, Juvia's jealousy would've overcame her. And for a second, it did. Her heart stopped and it was like she was watching herself through a screen as she shot scalding water at him.

_"Our target is Gajeel's brother's mate?"_

_"Yeah, but the idiot hasn't realized yet,"_

Juvia stopped in her relentless assault, somersaulting away from Gray's attacks. "Water Dragon: Scales!" The bluenette crouched low, staring at the teen as blue, scale-like patterns appeared over her body.

The teen stopped. "Y-You're a Dragon Slayer?"

"No kidding! I'm Juvia- Is Monmo okay?" She asked immediately, getting to her feet and letting her scales fade. The Ice Mage seemed in shock for a few moments before blinking.

"I-Uh, yeah. Yeah, he's with Belletokia watching over Levy, Jet, and Droy," He told her. Juvia nodded, shoulders drooping in relief.

"Okay. Good. Right- This robot we're on? It's powered by the Element 4. If you defeat all of us, Abyss Break shuts down. Don't worry about Gajeel- he's only going to fight Natsu," Juvia said, getting into a fighting stance. "Now spar with me. We don't have the time to go all out, so I'll let up. But you need to kick my ass,"

"Jose's that bad? I'm Gray, by the way," Gray said, getting into his own stance. Juvia swallowed thickly, looking away from his eyes. It felt like they could see into her very soul.

"I'd rather not talk about it. Ready?" Before he could answer, Juvia shouted. "Water Dragon: _ROAR!_"


	8. Chapter 8

"_Ow,_" Natsu hissed, clutching his shin. Everything hurt, really, but his shin was sliced open and bleeding badly.

* * *

He'd stormed straight through to where he could smell Lucy- where his brother was pretending to beat her into oblivion. Natsu knew it was fake (though there were _some_ real hits), and that she was okay, but even the sight of it just-

Set him off.

Roaring, Natsu burst into flames, his punch throwing Gajeel backwards. The older teen landed in a crouch, grinning at Natsu.

"_**Hello, baby brother,**_" He growled, so only they could hear, as they spared- going all out.

"_**Jerk! The last thing we heard was Erik in trouble! Are you okay? How did you get here? Is Wendy okay? Gods, is Erik even alive? You don't smell okay, you reek of anxiety-**_" Natsu snarled and snapped at him, throwing blow after blow.

"_**I'm fine, pyro. We all are. Erik had a run in with some slave traders- again- but we handled it. And I'm anxious because the sooner you guys can kick Jose's ass the sooner I can leave this place. Juvia's up on the roof fighting- Gray?**_" Gajeel growled back at him, iron blade slashing.

"_**Ice Mage. Juvia- Levy's little sister?**_" Natsu bared his fangs. He punched Gajeel when the teen didn't respond. "_**What's wrong?**_"

"_**I did that. To her, to your friends, your guild hall. That was me,**_" Gajeel pulled his punches, just taking hits for about a minute.

"_**You didn't want to. It doesn't count,**_" Natsu ground out, bashing Gajeel's head into the ground. "_**Don't be stupid. We all know you and Juvia did as much as you could from the inside. And Levy and the others are fine,**_"

"_**Yeah…**_" Gajeel snapped his teeth at Natsu, punching the salmon haired teen in the stomach and sending him flying. "_**More importantly- Blondie here your mate?**_"

"FIRE DRAGON: _**ROAR!**_" Natsu sent Gajeel through the outer wall, and the metal mage cackled as he fell through the sky.

Back to the present, Gajeel flipped himself up and stalked toward his younger brother. Kneeling, he moved Natsu's hands so as to get a good look at the wound.

"How's Laxus?" Gajeel grunted in their native language- Draconic. "And the hatchlings?"

"Laxus is out on a mission right now- Probably why this battle took longer than necessary. And Mira sent Sting and Rogue to get a healer- We didn't want them to smell you," Natsu said. "Mira's Laxus's mate, well, technically wife since they got married a few months back. They've been together since practically the day we arrived at Fairy Tail- But they've been mated for like, six years years,"

"Fairy Tail's good to you all?" Gajeel grumbled, wrapping the wound gently. Natsu positively beamed, nodding his head.

"Yeah! Everybody's nice, and it's super fun! Erza's scary but that's just Erza," He shrugged. Gajeel nodded, about to respond when a body crashed to the ground a few feet away from them.

"Fuck, that hurt!" Juvia sat up, rubbing the back of her head. She faux-glared up at the roof. "You're such an asshole!"

"Am not!" Was the echoed response from above. Laughing, Juvia crawled over to her best friend and his brother.

"I've been falling for a full minute" She told them, easily slipping into Draconic. "Is this your brother, Gajeel? The one who's the 'hellspawn of a lighter and a can of hairspray'?"

"Gajeel!"

"Juvia!"

The girl giggled at the two boys before shaking her head. "Come on, Gajeel-kun. We need to get the hatchling back to the nest," Juvia teased, getting to her feet. Gajeel simply picked up the fire mage and got him onto his back, making Natsu protest before sagging forward tiredly.

"...Missed you, `Jeel-nii," Natsu mumbled sleepily before shutting his eyes and falling asleep.

"Mmm. Missed you too, kid," Gajeel grumbled as he and Juvia walked out of their old guild hall.

"Marks gone," Juvia told him, referring to the Phantom Lord insignia that vanished from their bodies. Gajeel grinned at his best friend, who smiled back. The two knocked their fists together.

They were free.

* * *

"Natsu! What did you do to him?" A brunette teen in a blue bikini top yelled at them as they found the Fairy Tail guild members. She raised her right arm back, prepared to fight, when a blur of movement stopped her.

"Back off!" Sting growled dangerously, he and Rogue standing in front of the other dragon slayers. Juvia made a bubble of water around them as a white haired woman came to a stop in front of them.

"Cana, enough. No more fighting. Everyone! These are Juvia and Gajeel- our friends from the inside!" Mirajane announced.

"The girl's fine! But that guy wrecked out\r guild hall, and hurt dozens of our members!" Someone yelled from the back.

Gajeel had gestured to who he knew as Gray, passing Natsu onto the Ice Mage's back. He looked at Juvia and she dropped her sphere, Monmo shooting into her arms immediately. Juvia smiled brightly, snuggling the cat to her.

"_**Drop it. They don't want me here- and they shouldn't. It's okay,**_" Gajeel growled at the two youngest. "_**Just take care of the pyro until he's back on his feet- Kid's gotten good,**_" He smirked.

"_**You sparred? Awesome!**_" Sting grinned. Rogue frowned, hugging Frosch to his chest tightly.

"_**No. It's already been long enough- don't leave,**_" He whined. The black haired boy glanced at Juvia when she put a hand on his head.

"_**Don't worry. I'm his best friend- There's not anywhere on Earthland metalhead can go where I won't find him. He's tried before, it didn't work,**_" Juvia showed her fangs.

"_**Yeah, yeah,**_" Gajeel grumbled, before turning and walking away from the guild. The dragon slayers noticed how he tensed up the farther he got away- most likely due to being able to sense Sting and Rogue's sadness.

"_**I should go as well,**_" Juvia stated, "_**It's still too fresh for me to join your guild. But don't worry- I'll be nearby. If you ever need to get in touch with that emotionally inept spork, I'm a roar away,**_" The three dragon slayers still there laughed when a roar came from somewhere in the town.

Juvia turned to the white haired woman. "Tell my sister to follow her nose. Monmo and I won't be far," She nodded politely, taking off before anyone could stop her, Monmo at her heels.


	9. Chapter 9

"Natsu-nii?" Rogue perked up when his brother stirred. "Mira! He's awake!" He called out the infirmary door. "Are you okay?"

"Where's Gajeel? And Levy's sister?" Natsu asked, sitting up like some sort of zombie. Sting frowned, hugging Lector while Happy explained.

"The others didn't want anything to do with Gajeel so he and Juvia left-"

"But she's still here. I'm pretty sure she's stalking Gray," Lector cut in, getting a nod of agreement from Frosch.

Natsu sighed, flopping onto his back as Mirajane entered the room. "He's been on his own this long Natsu, it's not like he won't survive. He'll be fine," She reassured them, taking a guess on their topic.

"How're the others?" Natsu asked instead of replying.

Mira smiled, "Erza's finally healed up, and Porlyusica healed up the Master as much as she could. Gray's okay, just some minor scrapes- Lucy's perfectly fine. I'm all healed, and so's Elfman. Levy, Jet, and Droy are on their feet again, and you're completely fine- you just refused to wake up from your power nap," She deadpanned.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Juvia?" Monmo murmured, rubbing at his eyes. It was late- or, early- and Juvia had shot up from her bed, immediately alert.

"I'm okay Monmo," She reassured her feline friend. The pair snapped their eyes to the window of the small apartment Juvia was renting when they heard the lock click. Monmo shot behind Juvia, peering over her shoulder as the window open, and the girl sagged in relief when she recognized the scent.

He smelled like copper and minerals and he smelled like the outdoors- The smell of mines in mountains and caves and-

Blood.

"I-" Gajeel broke off. For being over 6 feet, he could make himself look small when he wanted to. "I'm sorry," He whispered.

The shorter woman slipped out of bed with Monmo in her arms, a scowl of determination on her face. The Water Dragon Slayer took his hand in one of hers, the other securing Monmo against her chest.

"You do not need to apologize to Juvia, Gajeel-kun. Gajeel-kun is Juvia's best friend- She will be there for him forever,"

"Me too! I'm here too!" Monmo added, just as determined. Gajeel nodded, mouth sealed tightly, and Juvia knew what this was about.

"It was a horrible thing, Gajeel-kun," Juvia said softly, "A horrible, horrible deed. But you cannot change the past. What you can do is make a future to atone for your sins,"

"She was six," He whispered, eyes haunted. "She was a six year old girl and- and I'll never be clean of that. No matter what I use or how hard I try, that- That's blood that won't wash off my hands,"

Juvia nodded sadly, pursing her lips when she noticed his palms were raw from being scrubbed. The bluenette led him to her bed, hugging him tightly.

"You are not evil, Gajeel-kun. You are not evil- You will never be capable of evil. You're not a monster, Gajeel-kun,"

"Unless he drank my milk. Then I'll never forgive him," Monmo said seriously, making Gajeel snort.

"Alright, alright, enough with the damn sappiness. Go the fuck to sleep you freaks,"

"Last I checked we don't eat _nails_, Gajeel-kun,"

"Yeah!"

"Shut up!"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"I want to protect him," Juvia whispered the next morning as she packed her belongings. "H-He took the rain away. He showed me the sun again,"

"Yeah, yeah," Gajeel grumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm heading back to my place. If he hurts ya, I'm gonna rip him to pieces. You got that Rainwoman?"

Juvia beamed before walking off, Monmo at her heels. Sighing, Gajeel ran a hand through his spiky black hair, hopping out the window. Back to the scrapyard.

"Your friend Juvia is very worried about you," Gajeel nearly choked on the pipe he was eating when he heard the voice.

"M-Master Makarov? What- Uh- Why're you here?" He swallowed, not even bothering to mask his nervousness.

"Juvia Lockser has joined Fairy Tail- and she's very worried about you," Makarov said, struggling up the mound of metal before standing behind Gajeel.

"Figure's. The Rain Woman's always been too worried about me for her own good," Gajeel rolled his eyes.

"My grandson, Laxus, is wondering when you'll join as well. And Levy and Mirajane had to hold back Natsu, Sting, and Rogue from ripping into the rest of our nakama for turning you away. It seems you're all very close," Makarov informed him, expressing interest when Gajeel tensed in recognition.

"You…"

"I don't know. Laxus hasn't told me anything- Neither Natsu or the twins. But they're all happy and safe- And that's all I need. Besides, I'm no Dragon Slayer, the inner workings of dragons is none of my concern," Makarov shrugged.

"I destroyed your guildhall. And I- I-"

"It's simply a building- the bond between comrades is what makes a guild. It doesn't matter where they are. And Juvia explained everything- Now, I will _never forgive you_ for harming my children. But I don't want it on my conscious that I left a young man in the darkness when I could've helped him," Makarov said. Gajeel hesitated, before swallowing his pride- and the dragon inside him relished at the thought of being so close to his family once more.

"Thank you," Gajeel said earnestly. When the small man was long gone, Gajeel grinned to himself before looking up at the sky.

Juvia smirked. She knew the Master could do it- If he hadn't she would've dragged the emo disaster she calls a best friend back to Magnolia by his tail.

Levy ignored the fluttering of her heart as she heard the roar. So the metal mage would be joining the guild? She sighed, thinking. Things were about to get a lot more interesting, then...

* * *

"_Laxus!_" Freed yelled as his best friend vanished in the explosion. Bixlow and Evergreen exchanged nervous looks.

"Where did he go?" Evergreen yelled from the sky. Bixlow shook his head, bewildered, as Freed ran into the fray.

When they found the blonde man, he was unconscious, with a poorly stitched wound on his left thigh.

Maybe if they had noticed the glowing wound, they could've avoided all the trouble that was to come.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey," Juvia said softly, looking at the ground. She couldn't meet her eyes- she couldn't look her own big sister in the eyes.

Levy surged forward, hugging the Water Dragon Slayer tight to her. "Hey yourself. It's been- seven years," Levy pulled back, tears in her eyes as she smiled at her little sister. "You're never, ever, ever going on your own, ever again, as long as I live. Okay Juvi?"

"Juvia promises- I promise," Juvia beamed.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Do you smell that?" Rogue asked as he and Sting were walking home later that night. Sting raised an eyebrow before his posture went rigid.

"Sting? Rogue? What is it?" Lector asked, he and Frosch having been flying beside their partners.

The two dragon slayers took off, not bothering to answer their Exceeds as they ran full speed.

"_AH!_'

"_**Gajeel-nii!**_"

"_**You're back! You came back! Our nest is almost complete- you need to meet Mirajane, and Levy, and Belletokia! Are you going to join Fairy Tail- you should it's the best guild ever!**_" Sting rambled when he and Rogue nearly tackled their older brother to the ground.

Gajeel grumbled and rolled his eyes, easily standing up while each of his younger brothers clung to him. There was a faint pink to his cheek- though you wouldn't notice unless you were close up.

"Hi Gajeel," Rogue mumbled as they all spoke in Draconic, always the level-headed one. Frosch and Lector finally caught up to them, both smiling brightly at the sight.

"_**Yeah, yeah. I've met Levy. Rainwoman's there, right?**_" The metal mage grunted as he walked through Magnolia.

"_**The girl that smells like salt and water and clouds?"**_ Sting asked. "_**Yeah, she's Levy's sister which means she's in our nest too! And I've gotten way stronger- And soon I'm gonna get stronger than Natsu and then you'll spar me, right?**_"

"_**Mm. Get strong first, hatchling,**_" Gajeel said- eloquent, as always.

Natsu nearly broke down the guild doors, whipping his head to the left. The fire mage grinned when he saw his older brother, reeling his fist back- When a giant hand slammed down on his body.

"We just finished rebuilding- I will not let you wreck it _again_!" Makarov exclaimed, making Gajeel laugh.

"_**This is awesome! Wait until Laxus gets back! Now we just need some way to get Wendy and Erik to join us…**_" Sting crossed his arms, thinking, while Lector mirrored his position.

"_**Idiots. Wendy and Erik are fine. And what's up with Sparky?**_" Gajeel growled. Natsu shrugged, finally squirming out from under Makarov's fist- flexible little freak.

"_**Laxus is always super on edge since he doesn't have his whole nest. I mean- It's weird, uh. Remember how Immerra said that finding your mate is like your other half? Well, it's kinda like he's more balanced now- Centered, I guess is the word? Since he married Mira,**_" The salmon haired boy snarled. Gajeel smirked, giving Natsu a look before being sent flying out the doors.

"Gajeel-kun deserved that," Juvia called out after him, Natsu's face a beet red. Sting looked confused while Rogue giggled.

* * *

"Something's not right," Gajeel grunted in Draconic as he walked into the den, slightly limping.

Mirajane shot up from where she was in the living room in an instant, racing to his side as the others ran in.

"Gajeel, what happened? How did you get these injuries?" Monmo exclaimed as Juvia wrapped her hands in water to heal her honorary brother.

"It's my mate. He's returned," Mirajane said simply, eyebrows pinched together in concern, one hand going to her stomach.

"It smells like Laxus-nii! But- There's something else. Like something- Cold?" Rogue tilted his head.

His twin nodded in agreement. "It smells like power and cold and emptiness,"

"There's somethin' that ain't sittin well in him. An' we need to figure it out before he does somethin' stupid," Gajeel grunted. Natsu crossed his arms over his chest.

"Laxus didn't cause all of that, did he?" The fire mage raised an eyebrow.

"Of fucking course not!" Levy seethed as she nearly broke down the door, scaring all but her sister and Mirajane. "No- We'd be luckily if this stupid bolts-for-brains had _just_ been electrocuted. No, Jet and Droy took it upon their _stupid fucking selves_ to get revenge for what you two _self-sacrificing asshats_ did when in Phantom," She jabbed her fingers at Juvia and Gajeel. "So _what_ did they do? Call him to the park for a fight- a rematch on fair ground. But _no_\- this _baka_~ is so incredibly _selfless_ and feels s_o~_ guilty he didn't even fight back! And he wasn't planning to! Gajeel just _let_ Jet and Droy beat on him! And he did the same when Laxus showed- even took a hit from Laxus that was aimed. At. _Me_!" The bluenette was growling now, the ground around them shaking as she paced back and forth in front of her pride.

"Oh, Laxus is _so_ fucking lucky he left after Gajeel. I swear if Jet or Droy show themselves near _any_ of us for the next week I'll give them both an even _worse_ beating than today! How _dare_ you four! Honestly! You call _that_ a fair fight- And on such an untouched, pure place of my element! And seriously, the lightning barely would've hurt me- but you're made of _fucking __**metal**_ you stupid _idiot_! How _weak_ do you take me for?" Levy breathed heavily at the end of her rant, snapping her eyes to look at the other dragons, causing them all to get even more nervous- her brown eyes having changed to green in her annoyance.

Belletokia landed on her head and Levy sighed, her scales vanishing. The bluenette glanced at Gajeel and swallowed nervously, looking away.

"Natsu, spar with me," Levy huffed before storming out the back door of the den- which led to the Western forest.

"Alright! Levy and Natsu haven't sparred in ages!" Happy cheered as he, Natsu, Belletokia, Sting, and Lector chased after the earth mage.

"Levy is very kind hearted. She's petite, and not quick to anger, so people underestimate her. Add in that she's super smart and can also use Solid Script and people take her for weak," Rogue began, Frosch asleep in his lap. "Many seem to forget she's a Dragon Slayer,"

"Levy is very protective of the pride. She's stubborn, and brash at times. Sometimes she never admits when she's wrong- But that's what makes her the Dragon of the Earth," Mirajane swelled with pride.

"Just because my sister can use Solid Script doesn't mean she's not skilled in her Dragon Slayer magic- but that's not Juvia's story to tell," The Water mage sat on her haunches with a shrug.

"What the hell are ya tellin' me this for?" Gajeel snarled, glowering. Mirajane gave him an even fiercer glare.

"This is a warning. If you make her angry, she may not let you live. Good luck,"

Gajeel gaped when Natsu came flying through the back, making a large hole in the wall.

"New record!" Rogue called. "You were only fighting for 14 minutes this time!"

Levy smiled as she skipped inside, Belletokia curled on her shoulders.

"Well, I'm heading to the guild! I need to talk to Lu-chan about her- new book!" Levy waved before heading out.


	11. Chapter 11

Laxus stiffened, eyes going wide. The lightning mage stumbled a bit, slamming his hands over his ears in an attempt to block out the sound.

"W-What is that?" He gasped.

It was the Battle of Fairy Tail. With Levy having destroyed Freed's barrier around the guildhall, Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue had rushed into the fray. Sting and Rogue stuck close to Mirajane, knowing she was worse off than usual being pregnant, while Gajeel and Natsu headed for their eldest sibling, who was hiding out in the church.

The scream had caught them all off guard. Natsu went pale when he heard it and Gajeel growled, getting angry.

"Wh-What the hell? W-Argh!" Laxus screamed, dropping to his knees. Lightning crackled around them dangerously and Gajeel's eyes widened when a bolt shot toward them, shoving Natsu out of the way.

"There's something inside of him!" Natsu yelled over the blond's screams of agony. "Look!"

Gajeel followed his gaze, eyes landing on Laxus's thigh, which had a dark aura around it.

"The fuck is that?"

"Whatever it is, it's probably behind the personality change!" Natsu yelled back. "But hearing his mate scream is throwing him off!"

"Plan?" Gajeel asked, getting into a stance. Natsu stared at Laxus for a few more seconds.

"Right. We'll have to rip it out. If Levy's right- and she usually is- then it hasn't been there long, which means it hasn't had time to latch on to him if it's the branch of magic I think it is. Most likely a lacrima of some kind, but whatever happens, we _have_ to get all of it out!" Natsu explained, hands ablaze.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"_Stop it!_" Mirajane screamed, tears rolling down her cheeks. She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head- she couldn't watch this- watch as Freed-

"_No! No! Stop it! Stop, please! Stop!_" She screamed when she heard her little brother's screams of pain.

Mira couldn't do anything- she was _useless_. Her pride was hurt, badly. Juvia was unconscious alongside Sting and Rogue, the three's Exceeds watching over them and Cana- and her husband, her mate, the father of her _child _was at the center of all of this pain and she couldn't bear it.

"_**NO!**_" Mirajane screamed.

"Dark Ecriture:," Freed pointed his sword at Elfman, "Death,"

Mirajane froze, her eyes wide. "...Death…"

_"It's okay Mira-nee," Lisanna said weakly." I just want you to know…"_

_Mirajane gripped her baby sister's hand, tears clouding her vision. "Lisanna? Lisanna?" Her eyes widened in horror when the fifteen year old's arm went slack._

_"LISANNA!"_

As tears rolled down her cheeks, Mirajane tilted her head back. Sobs racked her body as the white haired woman opened her mouth and let out wails of anguish.

A golden glow surrounded her as she wailed, a dark circle appearing overhead. As her wail turned into a loud roar, Mirajane transformed, her eyes going completely white as her roar shook the ground.

Laxus screamed when he heard the shriek turn into a roar, eyes going white. Natsu and Gajeel exchanged similar looks of 'oh shit' before bursting into action.

Fighting against him normally would've been hard- he was the strongest out of all of them.

But trying to defeat Laxus while the dragon in him was going into a rage would be nearly impossible.

* * *

"What?" Laxus blinked, blue eyes coming into focus. The twenty-six year old sat up in the rubble, looking around. The blond's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw Gajeel- both him and Natsu covered in injuries. Levy stared at him apprehensively, holding a pale purple jewel in her hand that seemed to have a black glow to it.

"`Bout time, Sparky. Gihi," Gajeel smirked. Natsu grinned at the eldest, pouncing on him immediately while Levy rolled her eyes.

"How did I get here?" Laxus swallowed, not really wanting to ask. Natsu had a wrought iron grip on his arm and his grin turned into a frown.

"...We'll fill you in later," Levy said softly, not quite meeting his eyes. "What do you remember?"

Laxus shot to his feet so fast Natsu squeaked- still being attached to Laxus's arm. "Where's Mira?" He asked immediately. Natsu snapped his mouth shut, going to take Levy's place in supporting Gajeel.

"We should head to the guild," Levy said, gripping the jewel in her hand tightly. Laxus moved to take a step before his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed.

Levy sighed, easily supporting the huge man on her back. "It's probably best he's in this state when we tell the others everything,"

"Will Mirajane forgive him?" Gajeel asked.

"Mira's never been able to hold a grudge against anyone for too long- Except Erza. I think she'll be angry until she finds out," Natsu explained thoughtfully.

"Ten jewels says she'll slap him across the face when he wakes up," Levy grinned. Natsu snorted.

"And people say you're not a gambler. Twenty that she won't,"

"Oh, I can't wait to be twenty jewels richer," Levy grinned as they began their trek back to the guild. "I hope Master won't be _too_ mad about the church,"

"We're screwed," Gajeel grumbled.


	12. Chapter 12

"What the hell!"

"Wha-"

"_Is that Laxus?_"

Were the questions that greeted them when the dragon slayers all returned to the guild.

"The hell are you starin' for? Get outta the way!" Gajeel snarled, and the guild parted immediately, giving them a path to the infirmary.

"You-" Mirajane stopped, fury fading from her eyes when she saw the state of her husband. Biting her lip, she tied her hair in her signature ponytail, with a purple ribbon, before guiding the slayers to any open infirmary beds. Rogue sat up from the bed he shared with a still unconscious Sting, Frosch in his arms.

"Are you all okay?" Frosch asked tearfully, whimpering when no one answered it's question.

"What happened?" Makarov asked sternly as Mirajane tended to his grandson.

"Remember Freed had said Laxus started acting really weird after the last Raijinshuu mission?" Levy asked. "I still don't know all the details, but this was inside Laxus," The bluenette held up the jewel. "I think it's a kind of parasite- It sucks off of people's positive emotions and feeds their negative ones- that's only a theory, of course,"

"Salamander smelled it first- Said since it hadn't been there long it hadn't completely latched so we ripped it out," Gajeel grumbled, Natsu having past out on the bed beside him.

"W- You guys beat Laxus?" Lector gaped. Gajeel snorted.

"Hell no. When the She-Demon over here roared he started screaming and clawing at his own ears- Probably would've torn 'em off too if we _hadn't_ sparred. When we ripped out that thing he collapsed," The iron mage pointed to the jewel Levy was holding.

Makarov remained silent, staring at his grandson with a grim look on his face.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

When Laxus opened his eyes, he was alone. Natsu was still passed out on a nearby bed, Happy now on his chest. A blue haired girl was asleep with an Exceed on her pillow, and Sting and Lector were asleep as well, but other than them the room was empty.

The blond sat up as memories rushed back to him. Looking down, his eyes caught the gleam of the gold band around his left hand ring finger. His heart clenched as he realized the pain he'd inflicted on his guild- on his _wife_. Her roar of anguish was fresh in his mind and Laxus felt his heart twist and swallowed the bile in his throat.

He did that. He was supposed to take care of her, to protect her (when she needed it). But he'd caused her pain and-

"_Ah_!" Laxus fell back onto the bed, clutching his now red cheek.

Mirajane glared down at him, her hand still in the air. Laxus couldn't meet her eyes, shame and guilt coiled around his heart. Gradually, Mira's glare lost its heat, her eyes filling with tears as she collapsed on his bed, pulling her mate close to her.

"I was so _worried_, you asshole. Now stop blaming yourself," Her voice cracked. Laxus pulled away from her, keeping his gaze down.

"I-"

His chin was forcefully jerked, the pair now looking each other in the eyes.

"This was _not_ your fault. I can feel what you feel, Laxus. None of this was your fault and _everyone_ understands. That wasn't you, and Natsu and Gajeel got the jewel out of you. Levy's working her tail off with Lucy and Freed to find out what it is. No one blames you. _**It's okay, love,**_" She said softly.

Laxus looked away, at Natsu and Sting. His nestmates- his brothers. Covered in bandages because of him. And from what he heard from the main guildhall, Gajeel and Rogue were also covered in injuries. And the blue haired girl- he could smell she was a part of the pride, she was one of them.

"I did this. To Natsu, and Sting- _**our pride**_. And I-" His voice cracked and something in Mirajane _ached_ when he looked at her again, eyes filled with tears. "I hurt _you_. I can still hear it, I can't get it out of my head- and that was _me_,"

"No," Laxus froze when he heard his grandfather's voice. "That wasn't you. That jewel is very rare, and very illegal. And you know who planted it in you,"

Laxus shut his mouth, looking down. Mirajane's hands were still on his shoulders, and her grip tightened as she hissed the name.

"_Ivan,_"

"It doesn't matter," Laxus took a deep breath, getting to his feet. "I did this. I need to atone for it,"

Makarov stared at his grandson while Mira's eyes widened in alarm- and fear.

"Laxus-"

"I have to go," Laxus said, head held high as he finally look at his grandfather. "It's the only way,"

The two Dreyars looked at each other before Makarov closed his eyes.

"You are hereby excommunicated from this guild!" Makarov announced, slicing his arm through the air.

There was a crash as the other dragon slayers all burst into the infirmary, rousing Natsu, Sting, and the other girl.

"Master!"

"Gramps you can't be serious!"

"It wasn't his fault!"

They all protested vehemently. Laxus smiled faintly.

"_**Zip it. It's already been done,**_" He growled in Draconic.

"Juvia thinks Laxus is a very wise and selfless man," The bluenette, Juvia, nodded. Mirajane gave her mate a watery smile.

"He is," She said softly, getting to her feet. Mirajane kissed her mate's cheek before nudging his shoulder.

"You should probably go before the Master changes his mind," She raised an eyebrow at him playfully, gesturing to the crying Makarov behind her.

Laxus placed a kiss softly on her lips, clapped Gajeel on the shoulder-

And walked away. 

Mirajane looked down when she felt something hug her leg.

"He's gonna come back. Laxus never leaves for long," Rogue said softly, giving the white haired woman a big smile, Sting nodding beside him. Mirajane nodded, one hand going to her stomach, relaxing upon feeling the magic beneath her skin.

"He'll have to. He still doesn't know he's soon to be a father," Mirajane grinned, sending a sly grin to her grandfather-in-law.

"WHA-?!" Makarov exclaimed.

"Sh! Master! It's a secret!" Monmo whispered to the now pale white old man, who had been shell shocked by the news.


	13. Chapter 13

"Hey," Natsu blinked, Lucy's voice pulling him from his thoughts. The blonde looked at him, concerned.

"Are you okay? You seem really-" She stopped, not really knowing how to describe it. She could just kind of tell something was up.

Natsu laced his fingers behind his head as they walked to the meeting point, Erza, Gray, and Happy a few feet in front of them. "What Gramps said, about that guy- Cobra. I've been thinking about it,"

_{Flashback}_

_"There's something else," Makarov said to the group. The Master had just briefed Team Natsu on what they would be doing to take down Oracion Seis. "Considering how powerful and secretive they are, you're probably wondering how we got word of this. The Magic Council has a spy on the inside of Oracion Seis- he goes by the codename Cobra. The young man says that he's been forced into helping the dark wizards because they have a third party held captive, one he is partial to,"_

_"What's his magic?" Gray asked, interested._

_"Poison," Makarov said, and Natsu tensed up. There was no way…_

_{Flashback End}_

"What do you know about me and the other slayers?" Natsu asked her suddenly. Lucy blinked.

"I've never really thought about it. Not really my business, and everyone says you're all very private about stuff like that. But from what I hear, you guys are close,"

Natsu nodded. "Mmm. Seven of us were raised together by our dragons. Laxus, Gajeel, Me, Rogue, Sting, and two others. We're family. One of my older brothers- Erik. He's the Poison Dragon Slayer. And if I'm right…"

"Then Cobra is Erik," Lucy finished, mouth set in a thin line. Natsu nodded grimly.

"Yeah. He, Gajeel, and our sister all went off on their own seven years ago. But if Erik's not doing this willingly, there's only one way. Cubellios,"

"Cubellios?" Lucy asked, her interest piqued. She didn't know much about Natsu's past- he didn't like to talk about it. It made something inside her feel fuzzy that he was willing to talk about this with her, of all people.

"His snake. Erik's got this weird magic- He can hear souls. Kinda like mind reading, but it doesn't really allow him to read thoughts so much as just hear them. Like, he's not actively seeking to read people's minds. So, he could talk to this huge snake he befriended, that he named Cubellios. Apparently she was actually a human that had been cursed and turned into a snake- we still haven't figured out what her real name is, her memories are all wonky. Only thing I can think of is that he found a way to reverse her curse- and they're mates,"

Lucy nodded. She understood the concept of mates- Mirajane talked to her about it (why- she didn't know).

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"What about Cait Shelter?" Gray asked right as Natsu snapped his head towards the door of the meeting point, eyes wide.

So far, the delegates from Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Fairy Tail had arrived. Which, of course, involved some (rather crude) slightly strange interactions- as well as Gray and Leon meeting up again.

"-stupidly powerful person?!" Lucy was saying when Natsu grinned widely, Happy following his friends gaze with a grin of his own.

"_**Wendy! Charla!**_" He grinned down at the twelve year old. The blue haired girl stopped in her tracks, staring at her older brother with wide eyes before she beamed at him.

"_**Hi Natsu-nii! Hi Happy!**_" She exclaimed.

"Uh- Who are you?" Sherry blinked at the little girl and her white flying cat. The cat humphed while Wendy grinned- showing off her fangs.

"The delegate from Cait Shelter! Wendy Marvell, Sky Dragon Slayer!" She introduced herself.

"OW!"

"_How many of you are there Jesus fuck_!" Erza exclaimed, punching Natsu in the head. Hard.

* * *

"Can you smell him?" Natsu asked his baby sister softly as they ran quickly through the woods- well, Wendy was flying.

"Yes. But- I don't smell Cubellios," Wendy frowned. Charla crossed her arms, flying beside Wendy.

"Impossible. Erik never goes anywhere without her,"

"Not if I'm right," Natsu murmured, ear twitching as he focused on the sounds coming from the forest.

"You have a theory?" Wendy asked her older brother.

"When doesn't he? Natsu's a nerd," Happy grinned.

"I am not! But yeah, I've got a theory,"

Wendy nodded, jumping high up into the trees. She easily jumped from branch to branch, eyes alert.

Erza moved to yell at Natsu for letting Wendy do something so dangerous, when she stopped. The young girl smiled, seeming at peace with where she was, high in the skies.

"Have you talked to the others?" Wendy asked curiously, glancing at Natsu.

"Well, so far you and Erik are the only ones not in Fairy Tail. Laxus found his mate- They've been together for a while, got married about a year and a half ago- Even expecting a hatchling, though Mirajane says Laxus doesn't know yet which will be _hilarious_ for him to find out. And the nest grew- Levy and Juvia are Earth and Water dragons, sisters raised together,"

"What's Laxus's mate like?" Wendy frowned, flipping back down to run beside him. Natsu grinned- she was always very worried and protective over her brothers.

"Mirajane. Perfect match, really," He said. "You know, Sting and Rogue miss you," Wendy beamed at that.

"It's still weird, only seeing two at a time instead of three," Natsu shook his head. "Least we know you're okay, now,"

The two dragon slayers stopped when a shadow appeared over head.

"It's the Christina!" Hibiki exclaimed, everyone turning to look up at the ship-

Right as it blew into pieces.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"You're thinking was way too predictable," The woman, Angel, said. "we've already taken down Jura and Ichiya,"

"What?!"

"No way!"

Wendy and Natsu, side by side, stared at the Oracion Seis as everyone else threw words back in forth. In particular, they stared at the maroon haired man with a snake on his shoulders. 

Their brother, Erik.


	14. Chapter 14

Natsu struggled to his feet, a shadow over his eyes. The pink haired teen started to growl lowly before letting out a loud roar.

"What the hell?" Gray exclaimed, giving his friend a weird look as everyone gathered their bearings- Ichiya and Jura helping them.

"Lucy, give me your belt," Erza said, wrapping the leather strap tightly around her arm. "I can still fight. Cut my arm off,"

"What?!"

"You can't be serious!"

"I'll do it," Leon picked up Erza's blade, walking to the redhead. He raised the blade, everyone shouting their protests, when Gray got in his way.

"Do you care so little about her life?" Leon asked his younger brother. Before Gray could respond, Charla spoke.

"Wendy can save her,"

Everyone turned to look at the white cat. They were even more surprised when Natsu spoke.

"Listen to Charla. Wendy's got sky magic. It's basically a kind of lost healing magic- She's one of the strongest healers I know. And she's got practice with getting rid of poisons like this," Natsu crossed his arms.

"So in other words," Leon began.

"We have one goal," Hibiki continued.

"To rescue Wendy," Eve said, determination on his face.

"In order to save Erza," Gray nodded.

"And Happy too!" Lucy fisted her hands

"Alright!" Natsu exclaimed. "Let's do this!"

* * *

"_**Are you okay?**_" Erik rumbled quietly, not even turning to look at her. Wendy, tears in her eyes, squirmed and thrashed about as much as she could with Happy in her arms.

"_**Gee, Erik-nii! Take a guess! I-I'm terrified! Grandpa never should've sent me on this mission! What do they want me for Erik? I don't want to die!**_" She snarled, tears pooling out of her eyes and Erik wanted to sink his fangs into Brain's neck.

"_**I don't know, hatchling. But you know the second any of them try to hurt you or Natsu I'll screw this whole operation. I won't let them hurt you,**_" Erik replied. Wendy shakily wiped at her tears, wanting to be strong.

"I would advise against planning anything, Cobra," Brain said suddenly. "If you wish for your friend to live, I suggest you stop talking to the Sky Sorceress,"

Erik went rigid and nodded, walking ahead so as to distance himself from his baby sister.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Erik wouldn't let them hurt Wendy and Happy, right?" Charla asked as she flew beside Natsu.

"No. But he's not exactly doing all of this willingly, so I honestly have no idea what he'll be able to do in her defense,"

"Which means we must get there fast!" Charla nodded, determined.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"What is it?" Natsu asked, face grim.

Wendy was on his back, drained but otherwise okay, while Happy flew beside Carla. Oracion Seis had taken the youngest Dragon Slayer for her healing magic, so she would raise a dark mage from the dead.

Jellal.

"When I was little," She whispered, arms tightening around Natsu. "After separating. I- I got lost. I started crying, and I was scared. But this boy, I think he was Gajeel-nii's age at the time. He was kind, and looked after me. We traveled together for a long time. But something changed, he said something about an Anima. I knew we would be separating- I still wanted to get stronger, and he had his own thing to do. He dropped me off at Cate Shelter and I never saw him again," Wendy squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking from them. "And that boy was Jellal! But I don't get it? His smell was completely different, and his demeanor, and everything! I'm sorry, Natsu-nii, I didn't- I thought,"

"_**It's okay,**_" He growled in Draconic, though his eyes narrowed. "_**This isn't your fault Wendy, I would never blame you. No one would,**_"

"_**But I-**_"

"_**Death is a scent all on its own, Wendy,**_" Natsu cut her off, "_**Even still, you haven't reached maturity yet, so your sense of smell isn't extremely good- like Gajeel's-**_"

"_**I**_ _**don't think anybody would get Gajeel's sense of smell,**_" Wendy giggled.

Natsu smirked. "_**Right? But even still- there was no way you could've known this Jellal wasn't the same as the one who helped you, especially with Death coming off him in waves,**_"

Wendy leaned her head against Natsu. The rest of their walk back to where the others were was in silence.


	15. Chapter 15

_They have a history._ Cubellios thought at Erik, to which the twenty-three year old nodded.

Currently, they were observing Jellal- renowned, recently revived Dark Mage- face off against Erza Scarlet.

"I think the Jellal guy's lost his memory. His soul is blank," Erik murmured, instinctively reaching for the snake. His hands curled into fists when he passed through her holographic body.

_Calm down, Erik._ She hissed, slithering up his body to rest her upper half across his shoulders.

"How? Natsu and Wendy are here and I have to fight them or you- You'll-" Erik shook his head.

_There are other ways to change me back._

"I know. But I have to find you again first," Erik murmured.

_I can't be far, if you're hearing me. Soon…_

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"**_You Poison Breathed, snake-like, aggressive little punk!_**" Natsu growled, pulling his arm back as his fist was encase in flames. A small grin formed on his lips when Erik dodged easily.

"**_What? It's not like I wanted to do this willingly,_**" Erik snarled back as he sparred with his younger brother.

"**_Not that! YOU ALMOST GOT KIDNAPPED! AGAIN! AND YOU WERE ALMOST TAKEN TO THE TOWER OF HEAVEN! AGAIN!_**" Natsu roared.

Erik grinned sheepishly. "**_So Gajeel told you-_**"

"**_Of course he fucking told me you asshole! You're lucky Laxus was excommunicated or he'd be here kicking your ass!_**" Natsu attempted to kick the older man's legs out from under him, but Erik jumped over his attack.

"**_Wh- Wait. What? Excommunicated? What the fuck?_**" Erik blinked, in slight shock. He was so caught off guard, he failed to notice Wendy being flown in by Charla, taking a deep breath.

"Sky Dragon: **_ROAR!_**" Wendy shouted. A humongous gust of wind, like that of a tornado, blew towards their second eldest brother, Happy grabbing Natsu and flying him out of the way just in time while Erik's eyes widened.

"Holy _shit_!""Wendy! That was awesome!" Natsu grinned, him and his sister landing on the ground.

"Of course it was! Wendy's stronger than any of you will ever know," Charla crossed her arms.

"That was so cool Wendy! And the way you flew was amazing, Charla!" Happy added, smiling at the female cat.

The group turned when the rubble behind them started moving. The piece on top shot into the air, landing a few yards away, and Erik's head poked out.

"I told you guys she'd be fine on her own. And Gajeel doubted Laxus," Erik rolled his eyes, stepping from the rubble with barely a few scrapes.

Wendy's and Natsu's jaws dropped.

"_What_ the _f-_"

"That did _nothing_?!" Wendy exclaimed, cutting off her brother's swearing. Erik raised an eyebrow before pointing to his cheek, where a thin line of blood had formed.

Wendy and Natsu exchanged grins at that, as well as when they noticed the numerous burnt edges of his clothes.

"Right, let's go," Erik said, walking towards his siblings.

"But won't Brain come after you?" Happy frowned. Erik grinned, though it looked more like he was baring his fangs.

"Brain's an idiot. Whenever one of us gets defeated one line of his tattoo vanishes. He thinks it means we're dead. So, for all intents and purposes, I am," Erik grinned, doing slight jazz hands and making Wendy giggle.

"Are we going to look for Cubellios now?" Natsu asked. Erik's expression turned angry as the trio walked, Charla and Happy flying beside them.

"Yeah. And I have a feeling I know where she is,"

Wendy smiled, beginning to skip. "Someone's made Erik-nii angry~. This is gonna be fun!"

"She's a devil," Natsu narrowed his eyes as the youngest of the three skipped on ahead.

"Yep. C'mon, Salamander, we've got people to slaughter," Erik shrugged and the two boys set off after their younger sister.

"Where is Cobra?" The councilman asked again, glowering at the group of wizards before him.

They'd just taken Jellal into custody, but refused to let the wizards go until they gave up Cobra.

"We don't know where you double agent is! We've said that a million times! Now will you let us out!" Sherry snarled, a hand on her arm from Leon being the only thing holding her back.

Before anyone could move, the sound of three sets of feet walking toward them drew attention away from the argument.

"I'm right here, Lahar, stop wasting your time on the guild mages," Cobra grunted, a large snake lounging around his body.

The crowd before them noticed the rips and fringed edges to the three Dragon Slayers' clothing, but all wisely remained silent.

Not like they would've been answered anyway.

"Are you coming back to the council?" Lahar asked as Natsu pounded on the rune cage.

"No. If you need another undercover op, I'll be at Fairy Tail," Cobra shrugged. "If they take me. If not, I'll show up. I'll know when I'm needed,"

"You're friend?" Lahar asked. Wendy, Natsu, and Erik's eyes all flashed, each baring their fangs at the reminder.

"Safe. Now let the punks out already, you've got a job to do and they've got guilds to head back to," Erik rolled his eyes.

"Tch," Lahar gave the slayer a once over before nodding. The Rune Knight spun on his heel and strode away, his men following behind him.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"_N-No,_" Wendy's voice shook as she dropped to her knees. "_No! No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!_ It isn't- That can't be true! No! _Everyone! Stop! Don't leave me!_"

The other mages watched as the members of Cate Shelter vanished, one by one, until Wendy was left sobbing on the ground.

"Wait," Erik held out an arm, keeping Erza from moving. The scarlet haired woman glowered at him, but her eyes widened when he returned the glare just as harshly.

They remained where they stood as Wendy sniffed for a few more moments before getting to her feet. The blue haired girl wiped her eyes furiously as she turned to the group.

"**_I- I guess that's why their smells were all funny, huh?_**" Wendy blinked, more tears pooling in her eyes. "**_I feel like an idiot,_**"

"**_You're not an idiot Wendy,_**" Natsu responded, arms crossed and face impassive from his place on Erik's left.

"**_C'mere, breezy,_**" Erik rolled his eyes.

_Don't act all tough, Erik. I know you've missed your siblings,_ Cubellios told him as Wendy crashed into Erik's arms, her face buried in his stomach.

"**_Am I not good enough? Is that why people keep leaving me?_**" Wendy's voice was muffled.

"**_Hell no. Our dragons loved us, there's no way they left us willingly,_**" Erik growled. "**_And we're not gonna leave, breezy. Wipe your tears and hold your head high- you're a dragon,_**"

Wendy nodded, pulling away and wiping her eyes one final time. She nodded again before rising slightly into the air.

"So are we going to Fairy Tail now? Oh, can we?! Can we, can we, can we _please_?! What's it like? Is it as loud and weird and rambunctious as I think it is?" Wendy fired question after question at the mages.

"Whatever you do: Don't trust Gray. He's an asshole,"

"_I'm right here, idiot!_"

"And?" Natsu asked, raising an eyebrow at his best friend, and earning a laugh from his younger sister.

**okay i know that it was important to their character developments for wendy and erza to have that talk after Cait Shelter vanishes after the whole Nirvana incident in canon BUT in this i think its more important to establish how close the slayers are, and how private they are with their personal lives. i love erza, she's a queen, we stan, god bless, she's perfect and i Love Her but she isn't a main character in this v much sooooo. and also, wendys, like, twelve, yet shes always treated like an absolute child for the most part when she Isnt, shes a strong, powerful mage- the Sky Dragon Slayer and i feel like a lot of people throw her under the bus because of her age**


	16. Chapter 16

Gajeel shot to his feet, banging his knee on the table in the process. Levy sent him a strange look.

"Is he okay?" Belletokia whispered to her partner, to which Levy shrugged, never looking away from the now frantic Gajeel.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_," The Iron Dragon Slayer hissed, eyes snapping around the room.

Across the guild, Juvia burst into giggles, her hand going up to cover her mouth. Monmo sent her a confused look, which made her laugh harder.

"G-Gajeel-kun is in trouble," She got out between giggles, "Because Erik knows about what he did!"

Mirajane smiled as she wiped down the bar. "So they found him. I was wondering when he would show up," The white haired woman glanced up as the guild doors open, Gray's eyes snapping towards Juvia when he heard her laughing.

"This should be interesting," Levy grinned, crossing her arms on the table as Gajeel looked for an exit.

Just as the older man took a step forward he froze. The rest of the guild all silenced at the growl that ripped through the air.

"Where are my brothers?" A girl exclaimed, flying into the guild hall. She zipped around the room before landing in front of the guild doors, arms crossed and a frown on her face.

"Natsu, you said they were here," She whined, eyebrows pinching together. Her face lit up when she spotted the frozen Gajeel. "Gajeel!" She zoomed over, hovering so she was face to face before glowering. "**_Where are my baby brothers?_**"

"Probably at the nest, girly, how the f-" He was cut off by a table being thrown at him, sending him crashing into a wall.

"That," Erik said, "Is for my house. But next time you try and fight me to the death I'm getting him to disown you,"

"**_I_**\- **deserved that,**" Was the muffled reply, one hand in the air with his pointer finger up.

"Hi Erik!" Juvia grinned, waving wildly at the man. Erik nodded in acknowledgement, grinning back slightly.

Natsu nudged his brother before grabbing Wendy's ankle-the girl still midair- and walking toward Makarov.

Erik's eyes turned to slits when he caught on a scent, snapping his head to Mirajane. She raised an eyebrow, and he inclined his head slightly, and she smiled softly at him before the man turned to the guild master.

"Cobra. My friend in the council speaks highly of you," Makarov said, face impassive.

Erik nodded, feeling slightly awkward. "Wasn't much else I could do. Tower of Heaven's a pretty fucked up place,"

"What?" Mirajane said flatly, arms crossed. Erik looked like a deer in headlights while Erza simply stared at the maroon haired man, mouth parted.

"Who is that?" Makarov zeroed in on the snake around Erik's shoulders. "They have a very powerful spell on them,"

_Can- Makarov is one of the Ten Wizard Saints, Erik, can- Do you think he can help me?_ Cubellios blinked at the short man.

"I don't know. But it's worth asking, right?" He murmured.

"Should this be discussed privately?" Makarov asked lowly, hopping from the bar when the maroon-haired man nodded.

"**_Privacy?_**" Wendy asked, dropping down from the ceiling and hanging upside down- making Wakaba shriek.

"**_Yeah. Alpha can give you your mark, and Sting and Rogue are in town- I heard them,_**" Wendy beamed at the words and nodded, flipping and landing on her feet gracefully.

"**_We'll wait out here and keep everyone at bay,_**" Gajeel grumbled, sitting beside Wendy at the bar and affectionately ruffling her hair- though to anyone else it appeared he was being harsh.

Erik nodded and followed after Makarov, entering the man's office.

_He doesn't appear threatening. And he is Drake's grandfather._ Cubellios hissed and slithered to the ground, but stayed close to her friend.

The man locked eyes with the Fairy Tail master. "Her name is Cubellios- In this form, at least. She was changed into a snake when she was younger by some dick of a mage. I've been trying to change her back,"

"This is your third party. Who Oracion Seis used to blackmail you," Makarov noted, to which Erik nodded stiffly.

The old man studied the snake. "I can change her back. But it will not be pretty. I can't say what her memory will be like afterwards,"

"I will help her, and stay with her," Erik answered immediately, flexing his fingers nervously.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"He knows about the Tower of Heaven," Erza said softly, she and the rest of her team sitting at a table.

Natsu nodded, arms crossed. "Yeah. And I can tell you that after everything I know, it's good we destroyed it when we did,"

"Why's that?" Gray asked, dragging his eyes away from a smiling Juvia who was chatting with Cana.

"Because if we hadn't Laxus would've- And he would've killed every person on that island," Natsu answered, looking directly at Erza.

She grit her teeth. "You still won't-"

"It's not your business,"

She slammed her fist on the table, drawing people's attention. "We're your friends. Your nakama. Do you not trust us?"

"With everything else, yes, but not this," Natsu answered. "This is too important and too dangerous. Beat my ass if you want, Erza, I don't care," He bit down on his tongue to keep from growling.

"**_Calm it, Salamander. You don't wanna burn this place down,_**" Gajeel growled over his shoulder.

"**_Meh. I could put out his flames in a second anyway, he's fine,_**" Juvia pointed out dismissively.

"**_You two should spar. My bet's on Juvia,_**" Levy commented, not looking up from her book.

Natsu shot to his feet. "**_Done,_**"

"**_You wanna fucking go, pinky?_**"

"**_Bring it on you slippery piece of shit!_**" Natsu grinned, pulling his fist back and sprinting forward when-

"**_Not. In. Side,_**" Mirajane glowered, having caught Natsu's fist and with a hand on Juvia's forehead, pushing the two away from each other.

"A-Aye!" Juvia and Natsu chorused, but both shared matching grins when Mirajane turned and walked back to the bar.

"**_Oi,_**" All the dragons' heads snapped up at the word, and the Exceeds and Mirajane turned to look when Erik reentered, Cubellios around his shoulders and Makarov at his side.

"**_Master has offered to turn Cubellios back. But her memory's not gonna be all there. We're gonna have to stay cooped up for a few days while she heals,_**" Erik growled.

Wendy beamed, floating around. "**_Then we'll make sure the humans keep away while she recovers,_**"

"Erik, come here. Mark," Mirajane ordered, getting out the stamp. Erik glanced at them all before getting a purple stamp on his back, at the top of his spine, centered between his shoulder blades.

"Hurry up! I know I can fly but just because you're walking doesn't mean you should be so slow!" Wendy yelled, zipping around before disappearing out the door, followed by the fast-flying Exceeds.

"I'll be back soon, don't let Cana drink all the beer," Mira said before changing out of her uniform and into a black vest top and violet leggings. In the blink of an eye, the pride was gone, leaving a pissed off and confused Erza.


	17. Chapter 17

"Come on, come on, come on, come on!" Wendy repeated, finally landing on the ground- walking would let some of her energy out.

"I knew you were excited, but what's the rush?" Belletokia asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Foolish child. Wendy is one of three- The triplets have never been separated as long as they've known each other. Being split for seven years takes a toll," Charla crossed her arms.

"Don't be mean to Belle!" Monmo yelled, standing beside his best friend.

"Charla, Belletokia and Monmo don't know about everyone from before. Be nice," Happy told her.

"You don't seem very curious," Erik noted, walking beside Makarov as Natsu and Juvia raced ahead with Wendy and the Exceeds.

"Laxus has not told me anything. And I will not pry, knowing you're all safe and happy is all I need," Makarov answered. "If you wish to tell me than I shall listen,"

"Laxus doesn't want to tell you until everyone is together," Mirajane smiled softly, thinking of her mate. Her hands were resting on her slightly bulging stomach, now three and a half months along. "And I support his decision,"

"And yet you haven't told him about the _**hatchling**_?" Erik wondered aloud, earning a flick to the ear.

"I get my vengeance in the small things. Besides, I _am_ the Demon Mirajane," Mirajane grinned.

"I think it's funny. And about all of us, this guild's too nosy. Need to learn to mind their own business," Gajeel grumbled.

"Gajeel, don't be mean. If Erza hears she'll kill you," Levy sweat-dropped. The group continued to walk through town before stopping at the treeline.

"Wendy? Natsu frowned, staring at his younger sister.

"Is something wrong, Wendy-san?" Juvia asked the young girl, who stood staring at the trees.

"Oi, what's up with Breezy?" Gajeel called as the older members caught up with the rest of them.

Mirajane walked forward, stopping beside the shorter girl and brushing a hand through her hair.

"They've missed you. And they won't be able to hate you for choosing to leave and grow on your own," She said, smiling when Wendy's head snapped up to stare at her with wide eyes.

Grinning, Wendy rose into the air, zooming forward-

Before being tackled to the ground by two blurry figures.

"Wendy-nee!" Sting exclaimed, him and Rogue crushing the eldest triplet in a hug, which Wendy returned just as fiercely.

"Wendy! Charla!" Lector and Frosch flew forward, greeting their friends.

"_**Ah! No time for questions, back to the den, we've got a busy few days,**_" Mirajane herded them forward and the triplets exchanged grins before screaming, in unison,

"_**Race you!**_" The three sprinted off, leaving their older siblings in the dust. Natsu's eyes widened and Gajeel froze.

"Wait- _Shit-_"

"You cheaters!" The two raced forward, soon followed by a laughing Juvia and Levy. Mirajane turned and raised an eyebrow at Erik, who gave a shark-like grin before running through the trees after his siblings.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

She furrowed her eyebrows as she slowly returned to consciousness. Green eyes blinked to adjust to the light.

The purple haired woman sat up, putting a hand to her head as she glanced around the room.

"Hello," A young bluenette smiled brightly, hovering next to a blue haired woman. Another blue haired woman entered alongside a woman with white hair, carrying a tray.

"You're finally awake," The white haired woman noted with a smile, "I'm Mirajane. That's Wendy, Juvia, and this is Levy. How're you feeling?"

"Confused," She answered, gratefully accepting the tray of food Mirajane offered. "I am Kinana. My memory is- cloudy. Where am I?"

"Magnolia, a town in Fiore. We're Dragon Slayers. This is our den. What do you remember?" Levy asked.

Kinan thought hard for a moment. "It's flashes, really. Of my village, and my parents and friends. Friend. And," Her eyebrows pinched together, "Someone- Asking to hear my voice?"

Mirajane and Juvia both squealed in delight, clasping their hands together while Wendy's amiable look vanished.

"Wendy-san has already healed you as much as possible, but J- I am a water dragon. I may be able to help you, just a bit," Juvia said, standing behind Kinana and coating her hands with water. "Healing the mind is tricky, especially memory. I can speed up the process, maybe, but the rest will just have to return on its own, though you have added speed due to Wendy-san's help,"

Kinana nodded, closing her eyes.

_"Are you okay?" I looked up. The boy had purple eyes and maroon colored hair, staring at me with a guarded expression._

_My lower lip quivered and I shook my head, letting out a sob, "E-Everyone hates me! They think I'm a monster, because of my magic. I-I don't want to hurt anyone,"_

_"You're not a monster," The boy sat down on the ground across from me, giving a small smile. "I've got magic too. What's yours?"_

_I sniffed. "I-"_

"-freak!" Kinana's eyes snapped open when there was a loud noise. She glanced around, the other girls in the room each looking irritated.

Mirajane sighed, glaring, before ripping open the door to the room and letting out what sounded like growls, effectively silencing the rest of the house.

"Are there more people here?" Kinana asked, but tuned out whoever it was the answered her question when she heard a voice in her head.

_Can I hear your thoughts?_ A familiar, masculine voice said.

"Who?" She whispered to herself.

"You can meet the boys after you've had some time to get back on your feet," Mirajane smiled. "They can be a bit rowdy, so I'll warn them to give you some space,"

"More like threaten," Wendy grinned.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Her scent is familiar- I don't see why I can't go in there!" Erik growled, pacing the living room.

"You can try, but Mirajane will kick you out. You have to wait until she's all better," Rogue replied, knowing he was the one brother Erik wouldn't try and fight.

"But I wouldn't even do anything! I just wanta see if she's okay, or if the memory thing is worse than what the old man said it would be!" Erik exclaimed before letting out a growl.

"Calm down, lover boy," Gajeel rolled his eyes before being sent flying from his spot in a chair by a punch from Erik.

"You wanna go, you invasive little freak?" Gajeel growled as he got to his feet.

"B-"

"_**Enough! Both of you!**_" A voice roared from upstairs, making all of them cringe. Gajeel got back in his chair, crossing his arms with a huff while Erik started pacing again.

"More importantly, what d'you think Gramps is gonna tell the guild?" Sting finally asked, as the Master had left the house earlier.

"He'll think of something, and Erza wouldn't try to fight the master," Belletokia pointed out.

"But she might try and kill us for information. You know she hates secrets," Monmo sweatdropped.

"We're doomed," Happy said, tears streaking down his face. Natsu shivered and the males sat in silence before they heard footsteps from the hall.

"She's awake, but she needs rest," Mirajane told them, "Sting, Gajeel, Natsu, and Erik, you four better stay out of that room or _else_," She put her hands on her hips.

"She's okay. Her memory's a bit muddled, but it should return in a few days at most due to Wendy-san's assistance," Juvia nodded.

"Don't forget you helped too Juvi! Sting, Rogue, come on! We need to catch up!" Wendy grinned, zipping down the stairs and out of the house, her brothers and the three's Exceeds on her heels.

"I'm staying here in case she needs something, Levy and Belletokia are heading back to the guild," Mira said.

"Oi, Happy, let's go find Luce!"

"Aye sir!" And the two were off, with Gajeel following them, muttering about "needing booze".

"You can pick a room. Wendy, Sting, and Rogue have taken the attic as theirs. Gajeel's got the basement, Levy lives at Fairy Hills, and Juvia, Laxus, Natsu, and I have already chosen our rooms upstairs. She's in a guest room, but other than that there are empty bedrooms upstairs," Mirajane smiled.

With a nod, Erik headed up the steps.


	18. Chapter 18

Kinana blinked when she heard a crash outside the window of her room, followed by swearing. Pulling the covers away, the twenty-three year old walked on shaky legs to open the window.

"That hurt," The man sat up, rubbing his head. He blinked and looked up, locking eyes with Kinana and they both gasped at the same time.

"I know you," She whispered, staring at the maroon-haired man- an older version of the boy from her memories.

"K-Kinana," He said, eyes wide.

_"Kinana!" He exclaimed, running through the trees. He cupped his hands around his mouth. "Kinana!" His ears twitched when they picked up on small hiccups from behind a tree. He found his purple haired friend with her knees pulled to her chest, stifling sobs._

_She looked up when he knelt in front of her, and his eyes narrowed when he caught sight of the ugly bruise on her cheek._

_"I did it again. My mom got mad at me," She sniffed, rubbing at her tears furiously. The maroon haired boy shocked her by pulling her forward into a hug._

_"When we're big, I won't let anyone hurt you,"_

"Erik," She breathed, before blinking. Kinana's eyes widened. "Erik! You- Where have you been? You went missing…"

"I-I got raised by a dragon," He blurted, "And you-you- Got turned into a snake?" Kinana giggled, crossing her arms and leaning out the window.

"Yeah. After you left, I ran away. Staying was pointless without you," Her smiled turned into a frown. "But some things are still fuzzy,"

"How did you get turned?" Erik leant back on his hands. Kinana thought for a moment before her face vanished in the window. Before Erik could speak, she jumped and landed beside him. "Kina!" He exclaimed.

"What?"

"Mirajane's going to kill me if you get injured so soon after the Master turned you back," Erik groaned.

Kinana sat criss-cross facing him. "You're scared of her? She seems nice enough,"

"She's gotta be some sort of monster if she's mated to Laxus," Erik mumbled under his breath.

"Laxus?" Kinana asked, tilting her head.

"My brother. But what about you?"

"Well," She chewed her lip, thinking hard. "I guess it was a year- No, six months. Yeah!" She nodded. "Six months after you left. The village got raided by dark wizards. Anyone young and strong was taken captive while everyone else was killed or had run away. My parents were killed, and your father tried to run but he was killed as well," Kinana began. "They took us to an island, and put us in cuffs and such and forced us to work,"

"The Tower of Heaven," Erik said, earning a nod of agreement from the purple haired woman.

"Yeah. I was there for a while, but something happened," She frowned. "And- One of them turned me into a tiny snake,"

"And that's when I met you, as Cubellios," Erik nodded. "Is that all you remember?" Kinana curled up, pulling her knees to her chest.

"If I'm being honest, I barely remember anything. Most of it comes in flashes," Green eyes met purple, "But I remember you. Your name and your face. And you make me feel safe,"

Erik went pink at that, opening his mouth when.

"_**Erik!**_" The two sweatdropped when they heard the roar, slowly turning to look up at Mirajane.

The Alpha was glowering down at them, arms crossed, a dark aura around her. She had small horns on the top of her head, lightning crackling around them.

"I told you to leave her alone and let her rest! She's been through enough and she doesn't need you bothering her!" Mirajane yelled out the window, glaring at him.

"I-It- I was just going to check on her! I didn't think she'd even recognize me or that I'd recognize her- And it was Kina's idea to jump out the window I told her not to!"

"It's alright, Mirajane!" Kinana called up. "I feel better. And Erik helps my memories!"

Mirajane sighed, "Well will you two at least come inside?"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"So you know Erik from before the Nest?" Mirajane asked, the other two sitting at the kitchen island as she stood.

"Aye. We were friends in our old village. About six months after he left I was taken to the Tower of Heaven, but everything after that is a bit of a blur," Kinana frowned. "I keep hearing this voice, asking to hear my thoughts,"

Erik blanched, before turning to look at Kinana. "You can still- You hear that?"

"It's you?" Kinana blinked.

"Yeah" He nodded. "When you were still Cubellios we could speak telepathically, though my responses were usually verbal,"

"Don't even try it," Mirajane deadpanned. "Kinana still needs to rest. Once she's on her feet again, go for it,"

"Mira, she's fine, I can still stick around just to help anyway," Erik gestured. The twenty-five year old crossed her arms with a roll of her eyes.

"No. Erik, the Master still wants to speak with you, so head back to the guild- Yes, now," She gave him a look when he opened his mouth, "I'll stay here with Kinana. _**She'll be fine, Erik**_," Mirajane gave a knowing smile. "_**Laxus was the same way when I got back from my last mission. He refused to leave my side for days. You males and your senseless worrying,**_"

"_**Sh-Shut up!**_" Erik growled before leaving the room, tugging the collar of his coat up.

"The language of dragons," Mirajane told Kinana, "We can teach you, if you want,"

"No, I," Kinana frowned, "I understood what you were saying perfectly," She went silent, thinking. It was a while before she stood up, "I think I'm going to sleep. Maybe resting _will_ help my memory,"

"I can only imagine how you would've reacted," Mirajane smiled to herself, looking out the window. She twisted her wedding ring around her finger, thinking of the man who gave it to her. "Laxus..."


	19. Chapter 19

**this one kinda starts out as a filler but i was watching the daphne arc and i was like 'since grays juvias mate how would everyone take this' like i know they know its fake but still. also, drama, bc this builds up to a dramatic scene ;)**

Gray screamed as he was slammed into a stonewall and faced with five angry Dragon Slayers and Exceeds and a furious Mirajane. He wondered how she could move so fast since her stomach was getting larger, but figured that's a question better left unanswered.

Girls are weird.

"You're lucky that Kinana and Erik are out doing something important or you would be dead," Gajeel hissed.

"We understand why you did what you did Gray," Levy sighed. "Even if there were better ways to handle it, Natsu is a bit dense and that was the best thing to do at the time. But damn it all if I don't want to wring your neck with my bare hands,"

"If you ever do anything so _impulsive_ and _selfish_ ever again I'll kill you," Wendy said sweetly, which sent shivers down the Ice Mage's spine.

"No! He hurt her! We should let Erik kill him!" Monmo crossed his arms, turning away.

"Apologize," Mirajane ordered. "You know what we're talking about,"

"If you don't, then screw being handed over to Mira, Gajeel, Levy, Kinana, or Erik," Rogue smirked. "You'll get to deal with me, Wendy, and Sting,"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"_**You guys weren't too harsh on him. It's my fault for being a dumbass and forgetting my promise,**_" Natsu snarled, clenching his hands angrily. "_**Dragons don't forget promises,**_"

"_**No one blames you, Natsu. Yeah, you probably shouldn't have forgot, but it's not really surprising,**_" Wendy sighed.

"_**What's that supposed to mean?!**_"

"_**It means you're an idiot,**_" Sting said before getting into a brawl with the pinkette.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

Gray sighed, running a hand through his hair before mustering up the courage to actually knock on the door.

And be met by silence.

"Come on," He muttered to himself, raising his hand to knock again when he heard a sound from behind the house. Looking around, Gray walked off the porch before heading to the back of the house- why all the Dragon Slayers lived together in the woods he'd never know.

The source of the sound came from the river, from the exact person Gray was here to talk to.

She was knee deep in the water, in shorts and a tank top, with her eyes closed. A line of water was flowing in the air around her, following the movement of her hands.

"Are you waterbending?" He asked without thinking.

"What. Do _you_ want?" Juvia asked him, eyes still closed.

"Sorry. Sheesh, happy now?" Gray rolled his eyes.

The water she was messing with fell into the river below her with a splash as the teen whipped around to face him, eyes filled with fury and hurt.

"You have _no_ _idea_, do you? You know what, I don't why I'm surprised at all, I don't know what I was expecting," She waded out of the water, "Just like an Ice Mage to have a cold heart,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Gray called after her when she tried walking away. "Everyone else in the guild's realized it was a bluff, why are you being so overly sensitive?" His eyes widened when the tendril of boiling water stopped just above his heart.

"Natsu's like my baby brother. If you were anyone else it would be different, but you're _you_," Her voice cracked. Juvia took a deep breath to center herself before shaking her head. When the two met eyes Gray held his breath.

"You're right. Juvia is being over dramatic and _she_ apologizes. Juvia understands why Gray-sama did what he did, but she decided to make a big deal out of n-nothing," Her voice tripped over the word. Juvia bowed slightly before turning on her heel and striding away, leaving Gray more confused then he was before.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Eight of nine Dragon Slayers are in this guild," Makarov spoke aloud, sitting on the balcony contemplatively. "It's as you said, Porlyusica," The old guild master looked up at the sky.

"Fate is taking shape,"

* * *

"Juvia would like to know what the hell is going on?" Juvia asked, arms crossed as she stood next to Wendy, Sting, and Rogue as the four of them faced Charla, Monmo, Frosch, and Lector.

"_Everyone got sucked up into a whole in the sky!_" Monmo wailed, rushing into Juvia's arms.

"It's an Anima," Charla said impassively, her arms crossed. Juvia made a face as she looked at the female Exceed.

"Juvia gets that Charla, Belle, Monmo, Happy, Lector, and Frosch's homeland is low on magic, but she does _not_ want to save _any_ world right now,"

"Juvi, you've been holed up for a whole week already- You've only been showing up at the guild the past six days, because Gajeel or Levy drag you out. You didn't even go to the Cherry Blossom Festival! Maybe this would be good for you," Sting commented.

"All you've done all week is blubber over those pictures of Gray from _Sorcerer Weekly_ that he had from Master's punishment game after the race," Rogue pointed out just before they all listened to Charla's explanation of the mission given to the Exceeds by the Queen of Extalia.

"But why don't _you_ remember?! None of you remember, but _my_ mind has been messed with!" Charla pointed at the other Exceeds.

"Belletokia knows what you're talking about," Monmo sniffed, "She would always talk about some sort of mission but wouldn't explain when I asked. Which made _me_ mad because we're supposed to be best friends and she's keeping stuff from me!"

"Maybe it's only a mission for female Exceeds?" Lector suggested.

"Whatever your mission was doesn't matter anymore!" Juvia exclaimed. "Edolas has kidnapped our friends, our family, _and_ our home. Everyone on that world has made themselves an enemy of Fairy Tail!" _Juvia's poor Gray-sama,_ Juvia thought, _No! Juvia is still angry and hurt at Gray-sama for what he did to Natsu! Kya, Juvia doesn't know how to feel~_

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Well, at least the disguises are cute," Juvia and Wendy exchanged smiles as Sting rolled his eyes.

"Hello~o? We're here to find the others and get back to Earth Land, not stay here playing dress up," Sting told them, Lector nodding in agreement.

"Found them," Frosch pointed up ahead, away from the storage shed. "But why's the guild different?"

"Well, if this is an alternate world to the one we come from, then we should all have Edolas counterparts, right? Well, all of us except the Exceeds, since this is your homeland. So maybe that's the Edolas-Fairy Tail," Rogue stroked his chin contemplatively, making his other triplets giggle while Juvia nodded.

"Right. Charla-san, you seem to be the only one with any recollection of this world, do you have any idea how we can find the others?"

"We need to head into town. The king is the one controlling the Anima, then everyone else should be there too," Charla replied, before staring off into the distance.

"Um, Charla? What are you doing?" Lector asked. The white Exceed blinked before looking at herself.

"I- I can't use my wings!" She exclaimed, eyes wide. The other Exceeds all exchanged looks before trying themselves.

"Wh-Wha?!" Monmo exclaimed, hopping into the air but also unable to use his Aera magic.

"I can't use my magic either," Rogue looked down at his hands. "So we can't use magic in Edolas, huh?"

"I don't think it's that. I can smell magic in the air, but maybe because we're from Earthland we can't use our magic," Wendy pointed out. Sting shoved his fist into his hand with a grin.

"Magic or not, let's go! We've gotta save everyone!"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"_Waa!_" The group ran as fast as they could through the strange forest, a giant frog right behind them.

"_I hate Edolas!_" Sting exclaimed, racing forward. Juvia glanced behind her at the frog and her eyes widened when it reared its head back, preparing to attack the Fairy Tail wizards.

"_Get down!_" She tackled the younger mages and Exceeds to the ground just as the frog flew over head, crashing into a large tree.

"We're almost at the town, come on," Juvia helped the others to their feet and they continued on their trek. They were all silent as the town came into view, before Rogue spoke.

"Juvia," He stopped mid step before looking at the older bluenette. "How're we supposed to save everyone if we can't use our magic?" Wendy immediately grabbed one of his hands while Sting grabbed the other, the three looking at Juvia, who crouched down to their level.

"Juvia does not know, Rogue," She answered honestly. "But our magic does not give us power. Even if we are out of every ounce of magic we have, there is one thing we will never lose. Our spirit. As long as we have that, then we keep fighting until we get back home, Rogue-san," Juvia smiled at the three. "That is the way of Fairy Tail. But you know something else Juvia and her siblings have?"

"What?" Sting leaned forward eagerly.

Juvia smiled. "_**The Code of the Pride,**_"

"_**A Dragon Protects Their Own,**_" Rogue and Wendy echoed, and Juvia nodded, standing up.

"Aye. Now, let's go. Juvia can smell Natsu, so she thinks we must be close,"


	20. Chapter 20

"Shit!" Juvia cursed, dragging the younger three behind a wall as Royal Guards ran past, searching for them.

"Juvia?" Monmo asked, looking at his partner with slight fear in his eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

Juvia surveyed their surroundings before sniffing the air. "Sting, do you smell Natsu?"

The blond tilted his head back and sniffed for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. And I can smell Lucy a little too,"

"Run. Go to them, all of you. Juvia will be the distraction," She said. "Monmo-chan, you go with them,"

"What?!"

"No!"

"We can't leave you!"

"**_Go!_**" Juvia growled, looking at them. "**_Someone has to distract these guys and it will NOT be you three. Stay with the Exceeds and find Natsu and Lucy-san and Happy, they'll help you get to the others,_**"

"**_But what about you?_**" Rogue asked, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as he squeezed Frosch tightly.

Juvia remained silent for a moment. "**_When Rogue, Wendy, and Sting hear Juvia roar, they will run. Alright?_**"

Sting nodded, holding his siblings' hands as Juvia ducked out of the alleyway, darting towards the Royal Guards.

"Hey!" She yelled, ripping a lamp post out of the ground and wielding it like a sword. "I am Juvia Lockser, of Earth Land's Fairy Tail! Water Dragon Slayer!" She readied herself. "And Juvia will not go down without a fight!"

The bluenetter let out a loud roar and charged into battle, taking out dozens of Royal Guards with one swing. Juvia ducked their magic attacks, swinging the lamp post in a circle around her and wiping out another round of guards. She used the lamp post to launch herself over the crowd before fighting them all, those she'd taken down getting back up and calling reinforcements.

_Natsu… Look after them. Save Fairy Tail._ Were her finally thoughts before being sent to the ground and captured.

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Wendy? Charla? Sting, Rogue, Lector, Frosch- _Monmo_? What are you guys doing here?" Natsu asked when he opened the apartment door where he, Lucy, and Happy were hiding out.

The triplets tripped over each other trying to explain, each near tears before Natsu got them to quiet down.

"Sting, what happened?" Natsu asked calmly.

"We came here with Juvia after Charla explained why everyone was taken here! But when we got to the city we were attacked and chased down by Royal Guards! J-Juvi-nee told us to run when she gave the signal and ran to fight with the Royal Guard, but she told Monmo to stay with us!" Sting whimpered, clutching Lector to him.

Natsu's jaw locked, and his fists clenched, a low growl emanating from his throat when-

"We can't do anything right now," Lucy said softly, a hand on her teammates shoulder. "We need to find a way to turn everyone back from lacrima. Once we've done that we'll figure out how to find Juvia. We can do this. Stay strong,"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"_AHHHHHH!_" Juvia's back arched as she screamed in pain. She sagged back against the rock when the machine switched off, allowing her to catch her breath.

"Such power," The old man breathed, "From just one of you. You alone could power this world for months. Imagine what just three of you could do!"

"Don't you touch them!" Juvia snarled. "You'll never get to the others! Juvia will kill you if you try!"

The old man laughed. "Kill me? With what?" Juvia looked up slowly, leaning forward as she leveled her voice.

"Her bare hands," The man froze, a chill going up his spine when a guard entered the room.

"Sir Byro! The Exceeds have completed their mission, and they've brought four more Dragon Slayers!"

Juvia went pale as the old man grinned. "Send them in,"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"Gajeel? Levy? Erik? What's going on?" Erza asked after Edo-Gajeel had left the five Fairy Tail wizards.

"Look, we don't really know everything all right?!" Gajeel snapped. "Me, Erik, and Levy are scouring the damn city for the rest of the guild, but you two need to get to the castle. bunny girl's in there and as far as we can hear they-" He stopped, eyes squeezing shut and taking a deep breath. When he opened them again his red eyes were filled with fear and pure rage.

"Those sick bastards already have Juvia, Natsu, and the triplets," Levy bared her fangs with her arms crossed. "Belletokia caught us up to speed a little but there's no time to talk. Get to the castle, find the others. We're gonna look for the other lacrima,"

"Every single time I can hear Juvia scream it makes me want to kill every damn peron in this world," Erik growled lowly. "And Kinana's in one of those lacrima. If you can't free the others I will kill every person I see until I find them,"

"Levy, you aren't even a Dragon Slayer, why haven't you been turned to lacrima?" Gray frowned.

"It's complicated. Just hurry!"

o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o

"_Stop! Stop it! Take what you need from Juvia but leave them alone! Please!_" A female voice yelled before she began shrieking in pain.

Gray's eyes widened and his head whipped around, looking down the hallway towards the sound. "Wha-"

"It's Juvia, she let herself get captured so Wendy, Sting, Rogue, and their Exceeds could run but now almost all the Dragon Slayers have been captured. Have you heard from Gajeel, Erik, or Levy?" Lucy spoke rapid fire, jaw clenching when Natsu's screams rang down the hallway.

"Yeah, they're looking for the giant lacrima-Magnolia right now, scouring the town for it," Gray said as the two sprinted down the hall, the Exceeds flying behind them.

"Oh, I know where the lacrima is!" Happy exclaimed, making the wizards halt. Gray knelt down beside the blue Exceed,

"You do? Can you take Gajeel and the others there?" He asked, and Happy nodded before shooting into the air and flying off.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

"_Stop it_! Leave them alone!" Juvia bared her fangs at Byro as Natsu screamed when the machine turned on.

Each of the Dragon Slayers were chained to a rock, the triplets unconscious as far as Juvia could tell.

"Please…" Her shoulders shook. "Let them rest. They're young, if you let them rest their magic will replenish tenfold,"

The old man turned off the machine, turning to Juvia with an interested look in his eye.

"Juvia is older. Her core is larger and more used. You can use that on Juvia for days before she runs out," It was a long shot but she _needed_ him to buy it. She had to protect them, she had to keep them safe.

"Really?" Byro asked, raising an eyebrow as Natsu jerked.

"No! Juvia, _no_!"

"**_Shut up! Rest, hatchling. You need your strength,_**" Juvia drew her shoulders back. "**_Master Jose had put Juvia through far worse than this. She can take it,_**"

Natsu snapped his mouth closed, tears welling in his eyes before they rolled to the back of his head and he, too, was unconscious.

"Let's test your theory," Byro said with a malicious grin. Juvia was grateful that the other four were unconscious.

She was unable to hold back her screams.


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh my god!" Lucy cried out when she saw the Dragon Slayers, Frosch and Lector immediately zipping toward their partners while Gray began freezing their chains to let them down.

"They're all okay, just unconscious!" Monmo exclaimed after looking over the four youngest.

"_Lucy I don't think she's breathing!_" Gray gasped out, getting Juvia down from where she was chained to a separate rock, farther away from the others.

"What?!" Lucy raced over, followed by Monmo as Gray put his ear to Juvia's chest. The blonde chose to ignore how the Ice Mage's hands were shaking.

"I can hear a heartbeat but it's faint," Gray said, and Lucy let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.

"What're those?" Lucy asked as the black haired male got Juvia to swallow a small red pill.

"Pills that allow you to use magic in Edolas, Gajeel, Levy, and Erik gave them to us. They got them from Mystogan," Gray answered, watching Juvia intently.

It was a tense silence as the two waited for their friend to wake up, the shaking in Gray's shoulders slowly getting worse until he punched the ground.

"Dammit, I'm sorry, okay? I-I'm _sorry_," His voice cracked, "I'll apologize for whatever the hell I did, Juvia, just- Just open your eyes,"

Lucy swallowed thickly, Natsu's head in her lap as she ran her fingers through his pink locks.

Monmo landed beside Gray, hugging his partner's arm tightly as tears pooled in his eyes.

"Gray-sama…" Gray's head snapped up, eyes meeting bright blue ones that never seemed to leave his train of thought.

Juvia reached her hand up and cupped his face, brushing away a stray tear with her thumb. "Why is Gray-sama crying?" She mumbled softly, eyebrows knitting together in concern.

His fists clenched and he looked down. Discreetly, his left hand moved to take hers that cupped his face, squeezing tightly. "You- You were barely breathing, Juvia,"

The Water mage squeezed back reassuringly before forcing herself to sit up. Juvia bit her lip as memories rushed back to her, and she cuddled Monmo close to her chest before struggling to her feet.

"Juvia…" Lucy looked at the bluenette as she walked forward, putting a hand on Natsu's forehead. She repeated the action with each of the other Dragon Slayers, her frown deepening each time before Juvia stood to her full height and let out an earth-shattering roar.

"Gajeel, Erik, and Levy are up to speed, Juvia is guessing Belletokia is finally telling them everything," Juvia said, Monmo purring in her arms. "Give them the pills Gray-sama gave to Juvia,"

Gray studied the bluenette before nodding, popping a pill in each of the others' mouths. Juvia got on her knees, coating her hands in water to heal them, starting with Natsu.

By the time she got to Rogue beads of sweat were rolling down her face and her legs shook as she healed him before getting to her feet with a huff, wiping her sweat away and smiling when Natsu shot to his feet.

"Juvia?" Gray hung back when the others had all run on ahead, leaving him, the Water Dragon Slayer, and her Exceed companion.

He rushed forward when the first sob racked her body, just as her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Gray caught her in his arms, the blue haired woman snaking her arms around him as she sobbed the crook of his neck.

"Juvia couldn't- Juvia does not have anything left, Juvia is empty, she doesn't- There's nothing left," She shook her head, "Juvia couldn't- Juvia couldn't take it but she _couldn't_ let Byro hurt her family, she can't- Not again and it _hurt_, it still hurts,"

Gray hugged her tighter, and something in his heart twisted. "But you did. You took it, and you took it all in stride because you're one of the strongest people I know. But don't- _Fuck_, Juvia, I thought you were dead,"

A few moments later, she pulled away, wiping at her tears. "Go. Gray-sama must help them. Monmo will stay with Juvia,"

"Always, Princess!"

"Juvia told you she doesn't have a kingdom anymore!" Juvia bickered with her cream and white colored Exceed as Gray got to his feet.

"Stay safe," He said before taking off after the others.

A beat.

"He's gone. Are you going to fangirl n-"

"KYA, Gray-sama was worried about me~! Oh, he's so sweet~! Juvia is no longer mad at Gray-sama, but if he hurts her pride again she'll lose it!"

"Yep. You're nuts,"

"Monmo-chan!" The small Exceed flew down and grabbed the back of his partner's shirt, sprouting his wings.

"C'mon. We should get you outta here before you crash,"


	22. Chapter 22

"Why are we here?" Sting growled, looking at all the Extalians with suspicion. He was not happy about how Lector and the others had been treated.

"Because we need to warn them. It's not right that they be faced with such danger and not be prepared," Wendy informed her brother.

"Besides, just because their Queen tried to kill Lucy doesn't mean the entire population are horrible people," Rogue pointed out.

"Yeah! Like that one old lady and her angry husband!" Frosch exclaimed, to which the other Exceeds explained what they were talking about to the Dragon Slayers.

"Hmph! Whatever! I still don't see why we can't join the battle like Natsu-nii, and Gajeel-nii, and Erik-nii, and Juvi-nee, and Levy-nee, and Lucy, and Erza, and Gray," Sting laced his fingers behind his head as they walked.

Wendy stopped, clenching her fists. "We aren't like them, Sting. You know that. Our magics aren't strict combat magics like theirs are,"

"Still! I wanna fight!" Sting exclaimed, getting a cry of agreement from Lector. Rogue sighed deeply while Charla 'hmphed'.

"Foolish child. You three are the cavalry, do you not see it?" All three Dragon Slayers turned to look at the white Exceed. "You're up here so that you aren't wasted. While the others fight, it's up to you three to be support and swoop in when one of the others is down,"

Sting cheered up a bit after that, but his mood soured when the Exceeds began staring at the group as they walked through the streets of Extalia.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

"That's Pantherlily, of the King's guard. He was banished from Extalia," Belletokia explained when she landed Levy and Erik beside Gajeel.

"Can you two take him or is this a family kind of thing?" Erik rumbled, staring at the large Exceed.

"Whatever it is, _why is he so big?!_" Happy exclaimed, lines going down his face as he stared at Pantherlily.

"Solid Script: Cage!" Levy wrote in the air, a large steel cage appearing above the large Exceed, who dodged it with ease.

"Oh _shit_-"

"Give me that key!" Byro yelled, running towards Lucy and the young barefoot girl, who had a large key clutched in her hands.

Lucy put a hand to her Celestial Keys protectively. "I'll never give you these keys! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"

* * *

"_What in the unholy fresh fuck is that thing?!_" Under any under circumstances, Natsu and Sting would've fallen over laughing at Levy's indignant shriek when the robotic dragon appeared out of nowhere.

"The king's inside, long story short he wants to steal our magic and plant it into this world," Natsu snarled, flexing his fingers. "His stupid machine almost killed Juvia, I'm surprised that you're even fighting right now, sis,"

"And have Juvia miss an opportunity to do some good old fashioned family bonding? Please, little brother, that machine barely left a dent in Juvia," Juvia smirked, punching her fist into her hand and pointedly ignoring the fact she could feel Gray's worried eyes drilling into her head.

"Alright, Wendy, you're on support, Sting and Rogue, cover her, Lev, Gaj, Juvi, Natsu, and I are on offense," Erik growled, eyes glowing.

"Let's kick some ass!" Gajeel grinned.

"Fast winds that run through the heavens: Vernier!" Wendy shot her hands forward. A blood red glow surrounded Natsu, green around Gajeel, blue around Juvia, orange around Levy, white around Sting, black around Rogue, multi-colored around herself, and deep purple around Erik, giving each of the Dragon Slayers an enhanced speed.

"Alright!" Sting grinned.

"This guy wants the power of a Dragon Slayer? Then let's give it to him," Levy snarled, bending at the knees before jumping into the air. "Gajeel!"

"Right!" The Iron Dragon Slayer followed after her, grasping her wrist and launching her farther upward mid air, both slicing through the dragon armour.

"Barely a dent!" Juvia exclaimed.

"Then let's give him all we've got!" Erik bellowed, rushing into the fray with Juvia.

"Let go!" Faust bellowed, staring down at the Dragon Slayers. Gajeel had an iron rod pierced through the left foot of the dragon armour while Levy was chaining down the right foot with vines after having sucked the foot into the ground (earning a scream of shock from her sister). Juvia had a chain of water keeping the arms at bay, with support from Erik's poison chains. Rogue had a shadow bubble around the head of the armour, keeping Faust blind.

_"_Sky Dragon: ROAR!" Wendy roared at Natsu and Sting, propelling them through the air as the others all sucked in deep breaths.

"White Dragon-"

"Fire Dragon-"

"Wing Attack!" The two Dragon Slayers attacked simultaneously. As the smoke from the attack cleared, they saw a grinning Natsu dragging the crazy king out of the armour by his coat, Sting by his side. The two Dragon Slayers fell to the ground hard, Faust being thrown a few feet away.

The Dragon Slayers all struggled to their feet, facing the King of Edolas with furious glares and snarls.

_This,_ King Faust shook with fear as he stared at the eight Dragon Slayers before him. _This is the power I wanted?_ The king was paralyzed by fear as he saw what these children truly were.

Dragons.

Powerful, monstrous, indestructible beasts. How could he have ever strived to have such a terrifying thing?

_S-Save me,_ The old man collapsed forward, face frozen in a look of pure terror as the Dragon Slayers exchanged triumphant looks.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

Natsu cackled darkly, spewing flames from his mouth as he and his family wrecked havoc upon the city.

"**_I can't fucking believe this is working,_**" Levy wheezed, biting her lip to keep from laughing as she caused the ground to collapse out from beneath a building. Juvia snorted, rolling her eyes as she flooded the streets.

"**_Mystogan-san better rule this place well, or Juvia will find a way back and kill him. Edolas people are psychopaths,_**"

"**_Ten bucks Natsu loses a tooth,_**" Sting grinned at his honorary older sisters, blowing a hole through one of the buildings to his right.

"**_Please. He'll lose at least three,_**" Rogue sighed, "**_Remember when they got back from the Tower of Heaven and he tried to fight Erza?_**"

"**_Gajeel, I'm completely capable of scaring people without your help, thank you very much!_**" Wendy pouted at her older brother, who simply grunted in response.

"**_Mystogan's arrived. Natsu's gonna get his ass beat,_**" Erik said with a grin, the Dragon Slayers turning to watch the pinkette fight the now ex-Fairy Tail mage.

"Well now that that's over and we're all back home safe," Juvia smiled, her legs wobbling dangerously.

They had returned home to Earth Land, and Lisanna had just explained everything to them, and she could no longer hold out.

"I'm-"

Her sentence was cut short as her eyes rolled to the back of her head, Monmo catching her just in time to slowly lower her to the ground as the others rushed forward.


	23. Chapter 23

They'd been back from Edolas for about two months when it happened.

To be truthful, though, everyone had kind of forgotten. With everything that had happened in the past seven months or so, one thing after another, they thought they had more time. Not to mention, Levy going into a coma for two weeks after using her Dragon Magic, and Juvia being confined to the house for a month after her near-fatal magical exhaustion stunt.

So, when Mira dropped the tray she was carrying and stood in the guild with wide eyes, for a split second everyone was confused. (Because of course, Mirajane refused to stop working during her pregnancy, but was eternally grateful for Kinana's help around the guild hall.)

Except Wendy.

"Mira-nee, are you okay?" Lisanna asked her older sister, just before the Sky Dragon Slayer squealed.

"OH! Oh, okay, okay, Levy, Juvia, Kinana, set up a bed for Mira in the infirmary! She's having the baby!" Wendy exclaimed, immediately latching onto her sister-in-law's arm and guiding her.

That's when the guild descended into chaos.

"What?!"

"Right now?!"

"But she wasn't due until April!"

"It _is_ April you idiot!"

"Wendy, you are sure you know what you're doing?" Master Makarov asked, concerned.

Wendy smiled, "I'd helped many women give birth in Cait Shelter— which makes little sense now that I think about it— But I wouldn't mind the extra help from such an experienced healer like Porlyusica. However, Master, Laxus's presence alone would be extremely helpful,"

"Erik has already gone after him," Makarov informed her, "And Laxus will be allowed to enter the guild hall for this occasion,"

"_**He should be allowed back in the guild,**_" Rogue murmured.

"Rogue," Mira said sharply, glancing over her shoulder as she and Wendy slowly entered the infirmary. "And Master, your grandson had better be quick. This baby will _not_ be born without him,"

"Mirajane, you have to realise it may take time for Erik to find Laxus. We don't know where he's been," Makarov said.

All the dragon slayers were pointedly silent.

* * *

Laxus, on the other hand, _had_ been expecting this. He spoke with his wife near every day through communication lacrima since the day he'd been excommunicated.

Also, you know.

His siblings and wife may have been harboring him in their house for the last three months or so.

So, as he paced back and forth in the living room because Mira could give birth _any second_, his head immediately snapped to the door when it opened.

When Erik nodded, the two men took off without looking back, practically running through town.

"How is she?" Laxus asked, a pit of nervousness settling into his stomach.

"Refusing to give birth unless you're there, which isn't a surprise. You two are disgustingly cute together," Erik smirked. "And calm down, nothing's going to go wrong. Wendy's there, and so is Porlyusica, Jet just got back to the guild with her, and Elfman and Lisanna are pacing outside her room,"

"_**Shit's about to hit the fan,**_" Laxus growled as the two stopped and Laxus rolled his shoulders back and entered the guild, chin up.

Most of the guild was still shouting over Mirajane, but some went quiet as Laxus entered. Makarov's eyes rose in slight surprise.

"I'm surprised he tracked you down so fast," Makarov said to his grandson. Laxus snorted.

"Honestly, Jii-chan, what kind of husband do you take me for? I've been in Magnolia for three months," Laxus grumbled.

"_**DREYAR GET YOUR ASS IN HERE NOW!**_" A female roar came from the infirmary and Laxus practically teleported with the speed he used to get to his wife.

"_**I'm right here, love,**_" Laxus said, taking Mirajane's hand as he sat beside her. The only ones in the room besides the expecting parents were Wendy and Porlyusica.

Mira smiled slightly, and even with a few beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, Laxus thought she looked beautiful. "_**I was scared you'd miss it,**_"

"_**Really?**_" Laxus raised an eyebrow.

"_**Don't give me that,**_" Mira panted a bit, "_**I could sense your nervousness from here, and I was worried you wouldn't get into the guild. Our nakama can be so troublesome sometimes,**_"

"Mirajane, prepare to push," Porlyusica ordered.

"_**Your minutes are getting closer and closer together, Mira,**_" Wendy beamed, the thirteen year old happy to be helping.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

The guild had been tensely silent since Mirajane had started yelling expletives, her siblings and her husband's all crowded around the door. When she stopped, the guild waited with bated breath.

On April 27th, at 11:45 AM, Lilith Dreyar began wailing loudly.

"With a set of lungs like that she's bound to fit right in!" Wakaba joked.

"_**She's got a lot of hair,**_" Laxus laughed, watching with slightly wide eyes as Wendy passed the swaddled newborn to Mirajane. She cradled the baby gently in her arms, looking down at her as she stopped crying and blinked up at her.

"_**And my eyes,**_" Mirajane smiled down at her daughter, who had a huge tuft of blonde hair and blue eyes.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

"_**It's time, isn't it?**_" Mirajane asked softly, baby Lilith bundled in her arms.

The girl had been born nearly a month ago, and already spewed small sparks of lightning when excited. Lilith was also easily amused by her father's magic, which Mirajane found adorable.

However, Laxus's wife was no fool. She knew he felt that he still had a penance to pay, that he had no right to be so near the guild, the _family_, that he had hurt.

"_**Yes,**_" Laxus replied, resting his forehead against Mira's. The couple was stood on the front porch of the house, all the other slayers asleep inside.

Mirajane put a hand against his chest, over his heart, as she opened her eyes to look into his. "_**You will come back. You know that nearly everyone has forgiven you. I know you will never forgive yourself,**_"

"_**I'm sorry you have such a mess for a husband,**_" Laxus smiled slightly and Mirajane poked him harshly.

"_**Like I'd exchange you for anyone,**_" Mirajane snorted. It was then that Lilith woke up, bright blue eyes looking up at her parents. With a whine, the infant wriggled in her mother's hold, looking at her father.

Grinning, Laxus took the baby girl into his arms, producing a small bolt of lightning to flicker around his pointer finger, making her squeal and watch with wide eyes.

"_**Don't be too much trouble. I doubt your mother has much patience left,**_" Laxus teased and Mirajane smiled sadly before sighing and stepping closer, forehead pressed into the side of his neck.

"_**Go. Or I might just rip our nakama a new one,**_" Mirajane nipped at his jaw before pressing a soft kiss to her husband's lips.

"_**I don't think you'll have to wait much longer,**_" Laxus told her after pulling back. "_**Something's coming,**_"

"_**Whatever it is, Fairy Tail can handle it,**_" Mirajane grinned, taking Lilith back into her arms. "_**I love you,**_"

Laxus shouldered his bag and pressed his forehead to hers again. It was something the dragons often did with he and his siblings, a sign of unconditional love, whether platonically or romantically.

"_**I'll be back soon,**_" Laxus promised before walking off. Mirajane glanced down at her daughter when she could no longer see him in the distance, stroking a finger down her cheek.

"_**You're going to grow up to be such a daddy's girl,**_" Mirajane smiled softly. "_**I can already see how much he'll spoil you,**_"


	24. Chapter 24

"A promotion trial? Don't you guys just promote people once they're ready? What's the point of a trial?" Rogue asked, peering at the Fairy Tail mages curiously, he and Sting having never been around for the trial before.

"Do you have to kill some big scary monster?!" Wendy and Sting shivered, eyes wide as they looked at the group of older teens.

"No, usually the master just has us go through an obstacle course of sorts, with the current S-class mages causing trouble as we try to get through," Elfman explained. "At least that's what Mira says,"

"C'mon, baby brother, it won't be so bad," Mirajane grinned, draping an arm comfortingly around her brother's shoulders, who pouted.

"Still, nine participants. That's a big number compared to last time!" Lisanna shook her head in wonder.

Wendy, Sting, and Rogue sat beside Erik, the three looking up at them with their Exceeds resting on their heads. The Poison Mage thought they looked identical doing that- the trio had easily fallen back into step with each other, Wendy, as always, in the middle.

"Who will you pick as a partner, Erik?" Wendy asked.

"Kinana?" Rogue asked.

"Or Gajeel?" Sting grinned. "Or me! I could help, Erik! Please? You know I've gotten way, way stronger now!"

The second eldest smirked, though to the rest of the guild it appeared he was snarling at the young trio.

"Old metalhead's taken," He jerked his chin to the other side of the guild.

**o - o - o**

"Pick me Levy!"

"No! Me! I can get you to S-Class, Levy! I'm way stronger than Jet!"

"No! Pick me!"

"No, me!" Levy rolled his eyes as her two teammates switched between kissing up to her and bickering. She wouldn't be choosing either of them, obviously.

"Oh, will you two quit begging and kissing up to Levy? Maybe the reason you two weren't picked for this year is because you focus on trying to date her instead of getting stronger! And she'd never date either of you anyway! Levy has standards, _and _she's already told you guys she only sees you both as friends so knock it off!" Belletokia finally snapped, sitting in Levy's lap and smiling when the two mages hunched over in silence, lines going down their faces.

"You knew I wouldn't pick you, Toki?" Levy's voice was soft, a smile on her lips as she spoke to her best friend.

"Please. You'd be nuts to go on this crazy quest with anyone but him at your side. He's already on his way over anyway," Belletokia said. "Bring me back a peach, yeah? I've missed our home,"

"Of course," Her partner smiled, hand smoothing over her head gently, eliciting a purr from the purple cat.

"Gajeel," Levy said confidently when she felt him near her, just loud enough for him to hear. "Are you sure you wouldn't rather help someone else? My body is frail, and weak. I'm not as strong as the other mages. And I can't use my Dragon Slayer magic without a price, as you saw,"

After returning from Edolas, Levy was confined (alongside her sister) to the den, and had been ill for nearly two weeks before she was back on her feet again.

He snorted. "I ain't fallin' for that trick, Shrimp. Besides, what's talkin' all pessimistic like that gonna do? And if anything, you'd have the advantage, considering you were raised on Tenrou. And you're strong enough without Dragon Slayer magic,"

Levy grinned secretively, "I'll meet you at Hargeon Port in two weeks, then. Yeah?" He grunted in response before walking off, arms crossed.

**o - o - o**

"Juvia cannot believe her name was on the list for S-class!" Juvia smiled in greeting as she carefully walked over, finally free of her crutches and bed rest. Erik narrowed his eyes and growled lowly while an exasperated Kinana followed after her from the infirmary, carrying Lilith and getting a much louder growl.

As of yet, only Kinana and Eric were allowed to handle Lilith without Mirajane being close by. She was quite protective of the infant girl after Laxus left a handful of days ago, and only her husband's second and his mate were deemed safe.

Gray's eyes darted to the Water Dragon Slayer as soon as she entered, but glanced away quickly.

"Juvia, why are you on your feet?" Mirajane said worriedly. "And Kinana-"

"Kinana and Juvia are fine, Mira, promise. Besides, it's been over two months, Juvia should be allowed to use her legs again," Juvia smiled softly as the triplets shot towards her, hugging her tightly.

"You're aware that for four of those weeks you were passed out in a coma?" Monmo frowned as Kinana passed the now fussy infant to her mother, who cuddled her baby happily.

"Juvia would've been fine with just two weeks. Besides, she's been in worse condition," Juvia protested.

"Perhaps, if you hadn't been so _foolish_ as to _overly exhaust your magic_ and almost _die_," Charla crossed her arms and turned up her nose, to which Juvia waved her hand dismissively.

Down the table, Gray choked on his drink, slamming his head on the table in exasperation and earning a weird look from Cana.

"You had us all really worried, Juvia," Lector added.

"Yeah!" Frosch exclaimed, tearing up. Erik just growled deeply again, watching his pride members before a flick on the nose drew his attention.

"She's fine. Her natural healing ability is very high, and with the added expertise of Wendy, Mirajane, Porlyusica, and myself, there's nothing to worry about. And Juvia herself is a healer. _**And I am fine, love. My mind is completely healed. You worry too much, maybe that's why your pretty face is cursed with wrinkles,**_" Kinana teased before gliding over to the bar, leaving the triplets giggling, Juvia smiling, and Erik gawping openly at his mate.

"K-Kinana!" He frowned, ears tinged red.

"_**Aw, is Erik self conscious?**_" Levy teased, sitting on Juvia's left, brushing her arm against the bluenette's as Belletokia and Monmo chatted excitedly.

"Enough," Mira smiled and shook her head, raising an eyebrow when Lilith stretched her arms and sparks of lightning flew from her fingers. "_**I'll go and feed this one, then**_." The white haired woman strode to the back, talking soothingly to her hatchling in Draconic.

"Juvia, have you chosen a partner for the trial yet?" Lucy asked quizzically, leaning on the table.

The bluenette flushed suddenly, looking down at the table. "J-Juvia does not really, uhm- Juvia does not really want to participate, or fight her, uhm-" Her voice got lower and lower as she spoke, and Levy snorted.

"That's insulting Juvia, completely insulting. You need a _**mate**_ who can keep up with you. _**Protect ****you and love you,**_**_ but not be put off by your strength_ and** _**independence**_,"

"_**But if Juvia fights her Gray-sama then that's the beginning of the-**_" Her light blushed turned into a deep red. "You know! The thing!"

Erik snorted and Kinana slapped a hand over his mouth while the triplets wore near-identical looks of confusion.

"I'll be your partner, Juvia!" Lisanna smiled kindly. "I was great friends with Juvia in Edolas. Besides, you seem cute,"

Juvia smiled at that. "Juvia looks forward to fighting beside you, Lisanna-san!"

"W- Bu- Then who am I supposed to partner with, Lis?!" Elfman sputtered indignantly, staring at his sister. The youngest Strauss smirked into her hand, pointing at the bar.

"Someone's been eyeing you up for a while now," Lisanna withheld her laughter at the look on her brother's face.

"You wanna be my partner, Rogue?" Erik grumbled eventually, raising an eyebrow. The triplets whipped to look at him, eyes wide.

"Woah!"

"What?!"

"Are you sure?" Rogue asked instead, not asking why. He already knew why his brother had chosen him instead of someone else.

Erik nodded. "Yep. We'll get to training, Runt, and then we'll head to Hargeon," Rogue beamed up at his brother.

"Yeah!"

"Good luck!" Wendy smiled, squeezing Sting's hand, the blond having been thoroughly disappointed.


	25. Chapter 25

"Alright, Sting?" Kinana asked, moving to stand beside the last Dragon Slayer, surrounded by Exceeds.

"I don't know. Something about this trial seems off, Kinana," Sting hugged Lector tightly. "And why wasn't I chosen! I thought I'd gotten stronger! Both Wendy _and_ Rogue got picked as partners! Even Lilith got to go, and she's a _hatchling_! And I'm not jealous or anything, but- aren't I strong enough?"

"Of course you are Sting! You're super strong!" Frosch smiled.

"Frosch is right. Besides, while they're gone you can train, and when they come back you'll be even stronger," Pantherlily reassured the blonde.

"Hmph. I still think Wendy was beyond foolish to go with that Mest character," Charla crossed her arms.

"Fufu. You're just angry she hasn't spoken to you in two weeks because you were being a meanie," Belletokia smirked behind her hand.

"SHUT UP!"

"Either way, I think Sting may have a point," Kinana chewed her lower lip worryingly. "Stay on guard. I have a feeling this trial won't be as simple as we hope it will. And you know Lilith isn't even going to be near any battles, but Mira is a challenger and she can't be away from her hatchling for too long,"

When the Master had asked Mirajane to participate in the S-Class promotion trial this year, since she had her magic back, it had been a long conversation. Though Mirajane wanted to, she refused to be away from her daughter for so long, but there weren't any other S-Class mages. So, the Master agreed to watch his great-grandchild during Mirajane's battle, and Lilith would then be with Mirajane as she manned the make-shift infirmary.

"Did you see something too? Charla said she saw something, and that it wasn't pretty," Frosch tugged on the skirt of Kinana's green dress.

"No, I can't see things the way Charla does, I don't have clairvoyance. I just listen," Kinana smiled softly at the green cat.

"Whatever it is, doesn't stand a chance!" Monmo beamed. "They've got most of Fairy Tail's strongest and brightest members on the island!"

"Come on, let's head back to the guild. If Macao and Wakaba drink everything before Cana gets back I'll be in for an earful," Kinana sweatdropped, herding the group back to the guild hall.

_Be safe, my love._ She said to him as she walked through the streets of Magnolia.

"Erik-nii, your face is all red," Rogue deadpanned, pulling on the end of his brother's cloak.

"Sh-Shut up, runt!" Erik blushed darker. '_Course she says it just before being out of range_' he thought to himself, arms crossed.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

"I can't believe Rogue used his shadow teleportation!" Wendy pouted, landing on the island shore and setting Mest on his feet.

Wendy, you're aware that we were the fifth group to get here since you can fly, right?" Mest pointed out as they began walking.

"Yes, but now I won't be able to use magic for a while," Wendy explained. "It's not flying so much as manipulating wind currents,"

"Nice job, Runt. Been working on that move?" Erik grinned as he and Rogue ran through the trees.

"Kinda. It makes sparring with Sting more fun because his light can vanquish my shadows, but if I teleport behind him he can't," Rogue explained. "So we just follow the path? No battles or anything?"

"I hope not. I'm in an ass kicking kind of mood," Erik retorted.

**o - o - o - o - o - o - o**

"Come on, Gajeel! Hurry up!" Levy was practically bouncing from where she stood farther down the path.

"Quit yappin', Shrimp. What're you so nuts over?" Gajeel grumbled, crossing his arms as they continued walking.

"Nothing, just," Levy smiled and closed her eyes, "It's been so long, you know? Nearly seven years since I've been here, Juvia and I both," She opened her eyes, glancing at Gajeel just after he'd turned from staring at her, red-faced.

"Yeah, well. Focus on the trial. I wanna fight!" Gajeel responded, to which Levy rolled her eyes but continued on.

They'd been walking for a few minutes when Gajeel noticed something. Every other step, Levy would make a motion as if she were about to jump in the air, but stayed on the ground. An eager look was on the girl's face.

Two minutes of Gajeel watching this and his eyebrow began to twitch because, honestly, _what. The fuck._

"What the _hell_ are you doing?" Gajeel finally asked, exasperated. Levy's eyes widened, turning to look at him.

"What?"

"That little jump thing. What're you doing it for?" He gave a pointed look at her feet. Levy halted for a minute before looking up at the sky.

"My wings were cut out by my biological mother," Gajeel's eyes bulged at the words. "Obviously, the genetic code for wings is in my blood, so I can use them still, just not physically. I am a fae after all. But being half human, my mother was horrified by what she'd done. Half humans were considered abominations by the fae people.

"So she cut out my wings and left me on the ground to bleed out. I was two or three at the time. My mom, Hindaidit, found me then, and Sorgina found Juvia. We were raised together. I can still fly, my magic will form wings on my back so I can be in the air again. But I only use them in desperate situations," Levy looked down at the ground, a sense of nostalgia filling her. "And who needs it, anyway? I'm happier on the ground, most Earth Dragons are. But the feeling's still there. Maybe, being the last of my kind, I don't want to forget my roots. I never really thought about it, and I don't look at my wings when I do use them. I can't. Juvia thinks they're beautiful, but I always liked my Mom's wings better. Pale yellow with different shades of green,"

"Ya didn't need to tell me yer whole life story," Gajeel mumbled, pointedly looking at a tree.

"I know," Levy shrugged before she continued walking.

**o - o - o**

"So what's going on between you and Juvia? I sense a connection," Loke asked as he and Gray walked from the battle with Mest and Wendy.

"Loke, honestly, _shut the hell up before I murder you_,"


	26. Chapter 26

**so the scene changes between sting and the exceeds and wendy and mest, i couldnt find a way to like, actually break the line so just ignore the word break, its pretty much the scene but just with sting and more exceeds**

"Sting?! Frosch! Lector!" Kinana called, a chill going down her spine as she opened the door to the den.

"Oh no," She muttered under her breath, eyes flicking around as Kinana raced through the house. "Monmo! Belletokia! Gods- Pantherlily? Charla?!" Her eyes widened as she looked in the triplets' room, a note on Sting's bed.

_'We're fine, promise. But none of us had a good feeling so we're heading to Tenrou Island. We'll be back as soon as__we__Charla __know__s_ _everything is alright. Sorry for worrying you!_

_-Sting, Lector, Frosch, Charla, Pantherlily, Monmo, and Belletokia._'

Kinana gripped the paper so hard her knuckles were white before dashing to her and Erik's room and changing into her job gear. The purple haired woman slammed the door shut before racing to Hargeon Port.

**o - o - o**

Far away, a hooded figure walks through the desert, carrying a staff in his right hand with a bag thrown across his chest.

Suddenly, the figure stops moving, cloak billowing in the wind. He tilts his head, making a hum sound before he turns.

"What the hell happened now?" Laxus Dreyar said to himself. The only answer he received was the howl of the wind before he set off at a sprint.

* * *

"_Kya!_" Juvia and Lisanna both ducked under debris, covering their heads. The Water Dragon Slayer took a deep breath before moving at lightning speed.

"Juvia? What are you doing?!"

The bluenette ran through the battlefield, jumping and launching off the wall and over Erza's head to land in the ocean. Juvia turned to look at her teammate and opponent, moving her body into a fighting stance.

"Water Dragon," Juvia raised her arms, blue scales appearing across her body, the ocean beginning to swirl and rise up behind her. "Typhoon Blast!" She shot her arms forward, and Lisanna and Erza both watched in shock as the entire ocean seemed to come to her call, rushing forward to the Exquip mage.

"Yes!" Cheered Juvia as Erza disappeared beneath her waves, dashing over to the youngest Strauss.

'_This is the power of the Dragon Slayers,_' Lisanna thought, in awe, as Juvia helped her to her feet.

"Come on, that wouldn't have kept Erza-san down for long!" Juvia exclaimed, turning to run when-

"I'm impressed, Juvia," Erza smiled to herself as she rose to her feet, Sea Empress armor in pieces and covered in several injuries. "However," The younger two teens gaped as she Requipped a new armor. "It takes more than that to be an S-Class mage!"

"Oh _shit_-"

"WE SURRENDER!"

**o - o - o**

"Are you okay, Natsu?" Happy asked as the two walked away from Gildarts. The pinkette nodded.

"Yeah, just-" He shook his head, smirking. "The old man's crazy, you know that, Happy?"

The blue Exceed perched on Natsu's head. "Yeah…"

"Erik-nii?" The Poison Dragon Slayer glanced up at the youngest triplet, who he had on his shoulders. Rogue wasn't yet as fast as Erik, and using his Shadow Teleportation took up a lot of his magic, so Erik decided carrying him would be easier.

"Yeah?"

"What's Kinana's magic? You guys never really talk about it, and none of us have ever seen her use it before," He asked curiously. "Is it a lost magic? Is she a type of Slayer? Or does she have something like Levy's Solid Script?"

**o - o - o**

"What's really going on? I know you think something's up Lily, so say it," Sting said as he and the Exceeds flew over the ocean, heading for Tenrou.

"Nothing, just- The prince was very careful to keep his face covered in this world and make sure no one knew his identity. Even in the guild, he made sure everyone was asleep before entering, and had no connections, with Wendy being the exception. For him to take on an apprentice…"

-break-

"Aww, I can't believe we lost," Wendy pouted, arms crossed. Mest shook his head, getting to his feet.

"You got a few good hits in. Wanna go explore?" Wendy's mood instantly brightened and the Sky Dragon Slayer skipped away.

"Yeah! Come on!"

-break-

"What are you saying? That Mest isn't who he says he is?" Monmo asked. Pantherlily nodded.

"Think about it. Try and remember anything about Mest, anything at all. It's almost completely blank, like he never existed,"

-break-

"Careful," Mest said as Wendy neared the edge of a cliff, a shadow cast over his face as he stared at the young girl. "You might fall,"

-break-

"It could be a form of Mind Magic, but if that's true than who is he?" Belletokia said the beginning slightly to herself.

"More importantly, why would he seek out Wendy for a partner?" Charla asked worriedly.

Sting bared his fangs. "Whatever it is, we need to get there soon. If that guy hurts a hair on my big sister's head, I'll kill him,"

**o - o - o**

"Kinana's magic is one of a kind. It's Olde, and many people believe it to be more of a curse than magic," Erik replied after a long time. "But you'd have to ask her about that,"


	27. Chapter 27

"This is everyone that made it through?" Gray sweatdropped, looking at everyone that had gathered in the clearing.

"Erik and Rogue were lucky enough to get a serenity route, as were Gajeel and Levy-"

"You call that lucky?!"

"_Gajeel_!"

"Gray and Loke beat Wendy and Mest in a battle route, and Lucy and Cana beat Freed and Bixlow in another battle route. Natsu managed to get past Gildarts-"

"WAAA?!"

Gray looked around. "Where are Juvia and Lisanna?" Gray sweatdropped once more when Makarov's jaw dropped, lines going down his face.

"Juvia and Lisanna met with _her_. The female knight who doesn't know how to hold back!"

"Then by process of elimination…" Cana trailed off, sharing a sympathetic look with Lucy.

Rogue giggled quietly behind his hand. "They met with Mi~ra!"

br/

"What the hell could those two have possibly done to get out of there alive?" Erik asked with wide eyes as Elfman and Evergreen arrived.

"They told Mirajane they were engaged and it caught her off guard," Natsu mumbled under his breath, making the other Slayers in the area snort.

* * *

"What the hell is up with this trial? 'Pick a path' 'Find a grave', seriously?! I just wanted to fight Salamander and Erza!" Levy rolled her eyes, irritated, as Gajeel complained for the ten thousandth time about fighting.

"Oh for the love of- Is that all you care about? Seriously Gajeel, it's like you don't even care to notice me!" Levy finally snapped, whirling around to face him with crossed arms.

"Now that's- Don't go putting words in my mouth, Shrimp I never said that!" Gajeel growled.

"Well it sure seems like it! You only ever care about fighting people and never spare me a glance!" Levy growled back.

A beat.

Gajeel smirked. "Gihi. You want my attention? Start fighting for real," He patted her head, not noticing Levy's eyebrow twitch in irritation.

"Because I'm 'small and weak', huh?" She said to herself. In a split second, she whacked him in the face with her bag, sending him to the ground. "_**Fine! See if I care, I can do this without you! Stupid Gajeel!**_" She stormed off, leaving him laying in the dust.

"What just happened?" Gajeel groaned, still on the ground.

"Ugh, males. I can't _believe_ I thought he'd- " Levy huffed, storming through the trees. A small smile graced her lips as the land around the bluenette reacted to her presence. Levy sighed happily, gently stroking a blooming flower.

"Maybe I should head back…" Levy said to herself when her ears picked up on a sound. She looked around, focusing her hearing on the person approaching her.

"Gajeel?"

**o - o - o**

"Did you hear something?" Wendy snapped her head around, eyes flitting around the cliffside they were on.

"What?" Mest asked, spitting out a handful of flowers. Wendy sweatdropped, staring at the man in pure disappointment before her ear twitched.

"I swear I- Mr. Mest!" Wendy gasped, eyes bulging when he was slammed against a rock, the Exceeds and her younger brother standing before her.

"Who are you? Why are you trying to mess with Fairy Tail?" Sting snarled, taking a threatening step forward as balls of light appeared in his hands.

"Sting! Charla, everyone, what are you doing here? What's going on?" Wendy exclaimed, looking at all the Exceeds.

Lector pointed at the older man. "Mest isn't Mystogan's apprentice! He's not even part of Fairy Tail!"

"He didn't recognize the signal flare!" Wendy looked up at her brother's words, finding the source of the sound she'd heard earlier.

A bright red flare had been fired upward, lighting up the clear blue sky, and large enough to be seen all over the island.

"He's been using a mind magic to mess with people's memories and make them think he was Mystogan's apprentice," Charla glowered at Mest as he struggled to his feet.

"His name probably isn't even Mest!" Monmo snapped, he and Belletokia hovering in the air by Wendy's head.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, I _am_ Mystogan's-" Mest stopped when Pantherlily, full sized, slammed his fist into the rock just to the right of Mest's head.

"No," Pantherlily growled lowly. "You were smart to use someone who is no longer in this world. But the prince would never take an apprentice. Who are you really?"

Wendy's ear twitched again and she snapped her head to the right, eyes narrowing at a tree. The bluenette stared off into the distance, ignoring the others when-

"Everybody get down!" Wendy yanked Sting's arm and pulled him to the ground beneath her, covering as many of the Exceeds as she could, and squeezed her eyes shut.

br/

Wendy peeled her eyes open slowly, arms still wrapped tightly around her baby brother, and gasped softly when she saw Mest shielding her and Sting with his body.

* * *

"Natsu?" Happy looked up at his pink haired friend.

"He- Didn't he smell familiar, Happy? And he knew my name," Natsu murmured, drifting into his thoughts.

The blue Exceed sent him a concerned frown before gasping. "Natsu, your scarf!"

The pinkette shot to alert. "What?!" He looked down, hand going to his scarf. Green eyes narrowed in rage and flames sparked in his hands.

The white, dragon scale like scarf given to him by his father, his most precious thing, Natsu's only remembrance of his nest, his home-

Had been dyed black by dark magic.

**o - o - o**

Rogue glanced up when he saw it. "That's a red flare. Enemies are on the island? How?" He looked down when Erik didn't respond, staring at his older brother. "Erik?"

_Intruders. Grimoire Heart. Sting and Exceeds on island. Wendy's in danger. Drake is here, headed for Alpha and the hatchling. Mest is from the council._

"_**Rogue, shadow us to Wendy. Sting's here, and Grimoire Heart is attacking Fairy Tail,**_" Erik growled.


	28. Chapter 28

**this fanfic fits within the headcanon that the dragons all had human forms to raise their kids**

"_**Are you alright?**_" Gajeel growled as Levy supported him, walking through the thick forests.

The woman scoffed. "_**You're the one who's nearly dead, and yet you ask if I'm okay?**_"

"_**You aren't supposed to be using Earth Dragon magic, Shrimp-**_"

"_**This is my homeland, Gajeel, I'm fine. Besides. They won't let me be harmed,**_" Levy smiled softly.

"_**They?**_" Gajeel squinted at her. Levy's smile turned into a mischievous grin before she used her free hand to gesture.

"I speak for the trees!"

"Oh for _fuck's sake-_"

**o - o - o  
**

"Is this what Fairy Tail is made of? Cats and children?" Azuma asked, staring in disdain down at Sting, who covered an injured Wendy.

Pantherlily and the other Exceeds were on the ground, heavily injured, and Mest was unconscious. Wendy and Sting were on the ground, both injured, and Sting having thrown an arm over his older sister, who was also knocked out.

"We're stronger than you!" Sting yelled, getting to his feet. The blonde began to suck in a huge breath, wincing in pain.

"White Dragon-"

"Linear Explosion," Azuma raised his hand, cutting off Sting's attack. The blond's cheeks lost air, staring wide eyed as the string of explosions headed straight for him.

_You dare to set foot on such hallowed ground,_ the voice rang through the air as a dust cloud appeared in front of the young boy, blocking Azuma's attack.

"What?" Azuma tilted his head, intrigued. As the dust slowly cleared, the first thing he saw were bright green eyes, and purple-tinged scales.

_For daring to come to our guild's holy place. For disturbing the spirits here, for waging war on our guild, and for daring to attack my family. You will die._ Kinana glowered at the man, whose eyes widened when she never opened her mouth once during her speech.

Around them, slivers of silver light appeared, before taking humanoid shape. Around Kinana's forearms appeared intricate patterns of glittering blue, and on her back appeared glittery, holographic wings.

"_If you think thiss iss sscary,_" Kinana hissed, taking a protective stance in front of Sting. "_Then you are not prepared to deal with the full force of Fairy Tail,_"

Azuma took a step back, wide eyes looking around at the spirits beside Kinana. Some had wings and pointed ears, while others had tails, fins, gills, and scales. Both species seemed to have intricate tattoos decorating some part of their bodies.

"Siren's Wail!" Kinana opened her mouth wide, and some of the ghosts with oceanic features opened theirs. Azuma flew backwards, clutching his ears at the high pitched wails that echoed through the air.

"Fairy Blast!" Kinana and the winged ghosts held out their hands, yellow balls of light firing from them and throwing Azuma back even farther.

Azuma got to his knees, wiping blood from his nose and sending a fierce glare at Kinana, who hissed at him.

"Frosch! Sting, Wendy!" Both mages snapped their eyes toward the sound, seeing Rogue and Erik sprinting towards them.

"Tower Burst," A split second before it activated, Erik grabbed Rogue and pulled him into his chest, rolling away but not managing to get completely out of the attack radius.

_Erik!_

_We're alive! Get down!_

Kinana turned back to Azuma, and her eyes widened when she saw the explosion headed right for her and the others.

The Fairy Tail mages each hit the ground, Kinana using the spirits to shield them as best he could while Erik shielded Rogue with his body.

When the attack ended, Erik forced himself up with wild eyes, seeing the others all on the ground, unconscious. Seeing _Kinana_.

"_Kinana!_" Erik yelled, racing over to his mate. He growled furiously and roared a tunnel of poison at Azuma, who easily blocked the move.

"Hmph. Pathetic," Azuma vanished back into the tree he came from, disappearing from sight.

Erik helped Kinana to her feet, checking over her with worried eyes until she placed a reassuring hand on his cheek, looking to the spirits that still surrounded them.

"That's your magic?" Sting whispered, helping Wendy up as the others drifted back to consciousness.

Kinana smiled, the purplish scales on her vanishing as she turned to them. Nodding, she spoke, "Thank you for helping us. Rest now. We will protect your home,"

Gradually, the spirits began to disappear, leaving only two women behind, their spirits being less transparent than the others, appearing more alive.

The one on the left had short, pale blonde hair, ending just beneath her chin, and bright green eyes. Her features were sharp, and her smile promised mischief. She wore a simple, sleeveless orange dress, which stopped just above her knees, and was barefoot.

The taller of the two had long, bright blue hair that reached her waist, with pieces from the front pulled back into a long braid at the back of her head. Her eyes were a pale blue, and full of wisdom and mirth. She wore a white dress with long sleeves that ended below her knee, and also wore no shoes. The two women were holding hands, looking at Kinana.

"_Home,_" The taller said, voice filled with grief. "_Our daughters have come home. Protect them, he is still alive! Please!_" Down below, the waves rocked dangerously, crashing against the shoreline.

"_Love, be still. No harm will come to our daughters as we protect them, day and night,_" The shorter crooned, getting on her tiptoes to press their foreheads together. She turned back, looking at a shocked Kinana and Erik.

"_Warn them. He is coming! Our little flower, my Levy. Protect her! Protect our children, protect yourselves! He's coming!_" The two women shimmered before disappearing entirely.

"Their souls aren't dead or at rest, they still walk the island," Kinana said, looking at the others.

"That was-" Belletokia's eyes were wide, Monmo with an identical expression of horror, both near tears. "That was-"

"Hindaidit! And Sorgina!" Monmo wailed, tears gushing out of his eyes, the two youngest Exceeds clutching onto each other.

"Levy and Juvia's moms," Rogue whispered, one of Wendy's arms over his shoulders while the other was over Sting's.

**o - o - o**

Worried, Mirajane bit her bottom lip, holding Lilith closer to her.

She'd seen the SOS flare go off, could feel that Sting and Kinana had arrived on the island. The demon-mage wished to follow after them, but she'd die before putting her hatchling at risk. Plus, Lisanna was here with her, and not in any danger

There was a loud boom and Mirajane was moving before she could stop herself. A hand on the arm from her sister brought her back to present, the younger sister taking Lilith and placing her in the small bassinet.

"Mira-nee, you can't," Lisanna twisted her lips, wishing just as badly to help their friends, but she knew they had to hold down the base. Before either could speak more, Mirajane snapped her head to the left and growled, shocking Lisanna with the dragon-like sound.

"Enemies, they're trying to surround the base!" Mirajane snarled, and Lisanna's blood went cold, glancing to her niece, who was now sleeping.

Grabbing Mira's hand, Lisanna nodded firmly. "You aren't alone. I'll protect her with my life,"

The elder nodded as both raced out of the tent. Outside, Mirajane sliced her forearm, using her blood to activate the emergency rune barrier Freed had written around the base for Lilith, just in case.

"Lis, I can't use Satan Soul yet," Mira said to her sister, heart pounding and mind conflicted with so many emotions. Worry, anger, fear, guilt.

How could she protect Lilith if her magic wasn't yet back at it's full capacity?

"Call to Lax, Mira-nee, I don't care if he was excommunicated!" Lisanna yelled before racing into the fray, readying her magic. "Takeover!"

Hands shaking, Mirajane tipped her head back and _roared_. All across the island, people looked up with shock and fear at the terrifying sound as it echoed through the air.

Rushing forward, Mirajane called forth her magic, every instinct focused on _protecting her hatchling_.


	29. Chapter 29

The last of the lower-tier mages fell, and Mirajane felt a brief moment of relief, sprinting towards the tent.

Peeking inside, Mirajane almost collapsed in relief at the sight of Lilith, who was amusing herself with her various toys.

About to head inside, she whipped around when Lisanna called out: "Who's there?"

"First cats and children, and now women too? At this rate I'll never be able to use my full power," Azuma stared at the Strauss sisters with a look of disdain. "That previous woman had potential, but she too turned out to be a disappointment. It would appear I got the short end of the stick,"

Mirajane raced back over to her sister, angered. "Short end?"

"What do you mean by that?!" Lisanna glared, but they were both blown back by his attack.

"Lis! You okay?" Mira called out, fists clenched.

"I'm fine!" Lisanna responded, keeping her eyes trained on their new opponent.

"This guy is powerful," Mirajane said, eyes narrowed. She glanced behind her, at the tent protecting her daughter. She couldn't use Satan Soul fully just yet…

"I won't hold back!" Lisanna shouted. "Takeover!" The youngest Strauss shot forward, but her attack was caught by Azuma.

"Penguin!" Lisanna shifted her form again, rapidly attacking Azuma one after the other.

The elder sister stayed back, watching with slight shock as her sister fought this mage— someone with such magic power. She smiled slightly, _Lisanna's not the same girl she was when she left. She really grew up_.

Azuma set off another explosion at them and Lisanna fell back, her cat form shimmering before breaking completely, the teen on her hands and knees.

Azuma focused on Lisanna and Mirajane went on edge, heightened hearing focusing on Lilith making a quiet noise of discomfort. She darted forward, attacking from behind but being blocked at the last second, dashing back into a protective place in front of Lisanna.

Lilith cried loudly from the tent, and Azuma's eyes widened. "An infant?"

"Lisanna, stay back. I'll handle this, protect Lilith," Mirajane said, barely flinching when her sister refused.

"If we both fight him we can win. He won't get past us both," Lisanna stood by her sister's side.

_I know you're coming,_ Mirajane thought, not taking her eyes off the enemy. _I know that you're close, I can feel you. If anything happens to me, at least I'll know that she's safe._

* * *

"_**The hell?!**_" Erik snarled, shoving down another enemy. "_**How many people are in this shitty guild?**_"

"_**It doesn't matter! We have to keep them away from the others!**_" Kinana yelled to her mate, downing her own opponents.

She, Erik, the triplets, and the Exceeds were all heavily injured from Azuma, but they wouldn't back down. They had to fight, and protect their guild.

They had heard Mira's roar.

"_**Sky Dragon: Claw!**_" Wendy attacked three of the mages, reigning victorious but staggering. She didn't notice the mage aiming for her back.

Kinana's eyes widened when she saw him move, knowing there would be no time for him to counter. "Erik!"

"Shit!" Erik cursed, dropping as he took the hit, clutching his side. "How much longer can you keep this up?"

"I can't stay in my battle form any longer," Pantherlily said, falling back into his smaller form.

"Well I can keep this up all day!" Sting roared. "_**White Dragon: Roar!**_"

"_**Don't be stupid! Your White Drive just wore off, we're all almost at our limit!**_" Rogue snapped, ducking one attack before kicking the mage's legs out and punching them hard.

"Don't give up! We can keep doing this! We have to!" Wendy's face set with determination, managing one more attack before a gasp fell from her lips, collapsing to the floor.

"Wendy!" Charle, Sting, and Rogue chorused, the Exceeds going to cover the fallen girl.

"_**I'm fine!**_" Wendy exclaimed. "_**Don't lose focus!**_"

The group took out the rest of the, thankfully small, group of enemies and fell to the ground.

"What do we do?" Belletokia asked. "That Azuma guy was one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory!"

"_There's six more guys like that?!_" Monmo shrieked.

"Not to mention, they'll over power us by sheer numbers," Rogue said, crawling over to his sister. "Wendy? Erik, she's out," Rogue was hit with a wave of nervousness.

"Natsu's on his way, just take a breather," Erik said, growling. _Kina, this is bad. Grimoire Heart was the strongest of the Balam Alliance. If they're waging war—_

_I know, my love._ Kinana responded. _But they won't defeat us. We have our pride, and our nakama. Our family, though scattered about the island, is strong. Everyone will be okay._

_Lilith is a hatchling._ Erik thought just as Natsu ran towards them. His eyes went wide upon seeing their injuries, and immediately went to the still-unconscious Wendy first.

_And we'll make sure she grows to be a pain in the guild's side, just like her Uncles._ Kinana smiled slightly, rolling her eyes when Natsu began to shake Mest.

"Natsu, he's with the council," Sting snickered when Natsu immediately set Mest down.

"W- _The council's the enemy_?!" Natsu and Happy exclaimed.

"No you idiots! He was sent here to try and find an excuse to shut down the most destructive guild in Fiore, and take me back to the council," Erik snapped. "So if Grimoire Heart just _happens_ to kill him, well, accidents happen,"

"_Grimoire Heart?!_"

Their conversation came to an abrupt end as more enemies ran in from the forest, forcing the Fairy Tail mages to their feet. 

**o - o - o  
**

"Mira-nee! Use Satan Soul!" Lisanna shouted, crouched low about half a yard from her older sister.

Mira swallowed, hand twitching nervously. She'd already used that spell once today, and she was still out of shape. To use it again would be risky, and Lilith was still in the tent— If she didn't get back to her hatchling...

"That's not a spell I can use in rapid succession, Lisanna," Mirajane called back, keeping her eyes trained on their opponent. He had immense magical power, and she could smell that he'd already attacked her pride- and dealt with Kinana and Erik.

"Don't tell me," Azuma trailed off, eyes widening slightly in interest. "_You're_ Mirajane, the She-Devil?!"

"That's an old name," Mirajane responded.

"When Mira gets serious, she's crazy strong!" Lisanna exclaimed, and Mirajane swallowed. This could end badly.

"What's wrong? You can't get serious against me?" Azuma challenged and Mirajane growled at the words.

"My magic is enough to take care of someone like you!" Lisanna exclaimed, getting to her feet. Mirajane's eyes widened when she felt the magical pressure increase.

"Lisanna, _no_! Get back, _now_!" Mirajane yelled.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but-" Azuma raised his hand and, suddenly, vines sprang out of the ground.

"Lisanna!" Mirajane rushed to her sister, now trapped in several ropes of vines, with a large clock face on the front.

"It will explode in three minutes time," Mirajane pulled on the vines as he spoke, "Woah there, I wouldn't give it any outside pressure if I were you. If you want to remove it, then defeat me,'

"I can't get out." Lisanna struggled against the vines and Mirajane growled, lightning crackling around her.

Lilith began bawling from the tent, louder, and each cry set Mirajane more on edge. Her baby was in danger, and now her sister as well.

"You coward!"

"To fight with that demon, I will do anything," Azuma answered, his face impassive.

Growling, Mirajane slammed her hand on the ground, a dark circle appearing beneath her feet.

As she took on her demon form, Lisanna noticed something different. Two small black horns were sprouted from Mirajane's head, surrounded by lightning. Her wings were also covered in lightning, crackling like in a thunderstorm.

"Mira!" Lisanna exclaimed, shocked her sister actually went into Satan Soul.

_My magic won't hold long in this state,_ Mirajane thought as she attacked Azuma, _But I have no choice. I have to save Lisanna, I can't let Elfman go through that again. I have to get us back to everyone._

"Release Lisanna!" Mirajane yelled after dodging an attack from Azuma, the two getting into a furiously fast fist fight. She glanced over her shoulder, the clock now showing sixty-two seconds.

"What are you looking away for?" Azuma grinned, having been ecstatic throughout the entire battle. "Burst Claw!"

Mirajane attempted to back away from the hit, but still got caught in the expansive radius of the attack. "Agh!"

Mirajane flew higher into the air, trying for a better vantage point to spot any weaknesses he had.

"Evil Explosion!" Mirajane threw her hands together, casting the sphere of dark energy at Azuma, beginning to feel faint. She gasped when she heard him begin to chuckle, staring as the dust began to clear.

Azuma stood with his hands crossed over his face, lowering the vines he'd raised as a shield against Mirajane's spell.

"I expected no less," He looked up, "Let's enjoy this a bit more, Mirajane,"

Mirajane stared at him and then glanced at the clock, now reading nineteen seconds. The cries of her daughter broke her heart as she realized what she had to do, but Mirajane also knew she had no choice. She wouldn't fail this time.

She turned her back on Azuma, flying towards her sister.

"What are you doing!?" Azuma yelled after her, angered.

Mirajane didn't stop, flying as fast as possible and wrapping her arms around her sister. "Sorry," Mirajane said softly. "It's tough to accept, but I don't have enough power to defeat that guy. It's impossible for me right now,"

"Eh?" Lisanna stared at her, confused.

"But I believe," Mirajane smiled, "That there is someone in the guild who can,"

"What," Lisanna's voice shook, "Are you talking about? Mira…"

"So your sister's going to forfeit here but, you don't need to worry, Lisanna. You're the one person I won't let die again," Mirajane tightened her grip on her younger sister, Lilith crying from the tent. "Promise that you'll tell her about me? I know that you'll protect Lilith, protect my baby, at least until Laxus gets to her. Don't ever let her think I don't love her,"

The clock hit zero.

"_MIRAAAAAAAA_!"


End file.
